Dirk Nowitzki's savage jab at Heat's Big 3 revealed
12/12/2024 01:30 PM
Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki's quiet confidence during the 2011 NBA Finals extended beyond his on-court dominance. Former NBA player Brendan Haywood recently revealed on the Run Your Race podcast that Nowitzki privately dismissed the Miami Heat’s Big 3, asserting that the trio lacked true star power without him.
Haywood, speaking with Theo Pinson and AJ Richardson, shared Nowitzki's behind-the-scenes comments.
"Dirk had quiet confidence," Haywood said. "He would say it to us, but he just didn't feel like he needed to say it to the world."
He continued, "Dirk, he would say something behind the scenes that was different, like, ‘We taking on the Big 3.’ He’s like, ‘They ain’t no real Big 3. If they really wanted to create a Big 3, they would have come and got me. Dead serious. If there was a real Big 3, no disrespect to Bosh, you should’ve come and got me. You ain’t got me, you ain’t got a Big 3.'"
Dirk Nowitzki’s MVP run solidifies legacy as Mavs top Heat’s Big 3 in 2011 Finals
The comments reflect Nowitzki’s strong belief in his own abilities during a historic playoff run that culminated in the Mavericks defeating the Heat in six games. Nowitzki earned NBA Finals MVP honors, averaging 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
The German forward's sentiments about Miami's superstar alignment were not entirely new. In 2010, he told a German magazine that he would have considered joining a Miami-based superteam under very specific circumstances.
"It would already have to be an unbelievable situation to go somewhere, for instance with LeBron or Wade just to play in Miami," Nowitzki said at the time. "For example, LeBron and Wade come to me and say, ‘Hey, you want to come to Miami?’ That would have been a situation where I would have to consider."
While the Heat's Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh reached four consecutive NBA Finals, winning two championships in 2012 and 2013, Nowitzki's Mavericks carved their own place in history with the 2011 title. The victory not only marked Dallas' first championship but also served as redemption for their 2006 Finals loss to the Heat.
Nowitzki's hypothetical alignment with James and Wade remains an intriguing "what if" scenario in NBA history. A trio featuring those three future Hall-of-Famers could have redefined the league's power structure during the early 2010s. However, Nowitzki's loyalty to Dallas and his pivotal role in one of the greatest underdog stories in Finals history solidified his legacy as a franchise cornerstone.
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