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Over the next couple of weeks, Mavs Moneyball is trying to determine the best Mavericks playoff game since 2000. Here's our homepage, with every game, seed and matchup. Your votes are being recorded below!
(1) 2011 Finals, Game 6 vs. Miami
It had to happen like this. It had to.
For 20 games, Dirk Nowitzki had more or less thrown the entire Mavericks roster in a rundown minivan, told them, "I got this," then dragged them to a Finals-clinching Game 6 with a bungee cord wrapped around the bumper. On the 21st game, his team crawled out and -- one by one -- told Dirk right back, "We got this."
While Dirk struggled to a 1-of-11 first half, Jason Terry lit up like an illegal Chinese firework, spewing in points from all over the floor. DeShawn Stevenson hit threes. Tyson Chandler did his thing. Ian Mahinmi nailed a buzzer beating elbow jumper. Brian Cardinal dropped a corner three and, perhaps more importantly, Dwyane Wade on a charge take. J.J. Barea scored FIFTEEN. I'm sure Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion were involved in some way or another.
Then in the last six minutes or so, Dirk solemnly thanked them for their service. He shook their hands -- one by one -- and ushered them back into the van. He said, "I got this," and he did. And the Mavericks won a championship. And Dirk had to run to the locker room because he was overcome with emotions. And then he sung an off-key rendition of "We are the Champions." But first, there was the unforgettable Game 6 that began it all, and we love it for that reason.
- Tim (@tim_cato)
(4) 2011 semifinals, Game 4 vs. Lakers
On that night in Dallas, with Phil Jackson coaching his final game and Kobe Bryant making his final trip past the first round, with a threepeat Lakers dynasty one loss away from it all falling off, Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic could have been Los Angeles singlehandedly.
They hit FIFTEEN of SIXTEEN three-pointers in the blowout win that was over in the second quarter. DeShawn Stevenson, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea and Brian Cardinal each added one more to total 20 makes for the game. That tied an NBA record, which is all sorts of absurd.
The greatest part was the "hey, hey, hey, goodbye," chants as the clock hit 1:00 -- deserved after two flagrant fouls from Los Angeles in the second half -- and then deafening cheers as the final seconds ticked off.
-Tim