Three reasons the 2011 Dallas Mavericks should be ranked higher

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 16: Kevin Durant #5, Kobe Bryant #10 and LeBron James #6 of the USA Men’s Senior National Team during a break against Brazil at the Verizon Center on July 16, 2012 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Road to the Top

Very few playoff runs in league history have seen a tougher road to the title than the one the Mavs went through in 2011. Four rounds of top notch opponents can give you that sense that any game could be your undoing and the Mavs had that feeling on a couple of occasions, but weathered the storms quickly.

It started with an underrated Portland Trail Blazers team, led by a young star in LaMarcus Aldridge as well as Wesley Matthews, Gerald Wallace and the briefly reincarnated Brandon Roy. Although the Mavs were the 3-seed, many believed this Blazers team could take them down. Mavs win it in six.

Next up was the defending champs and the 2-seed, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were led by a still in his prime Kobe Bryant along with All-Star, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher. No one honestly thought the Mavs had a chance in this one. Unfortunately, the Lakers must not have thought so either and it turned into one of the biggest sweeps in NBA history.

Then, the Mavs had the trio of young stars in Oklahoma City with the Thunder showing up with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden to go with Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison made for a dangerous team, which we saw just a few years later when they made it to the NBA Finals. Surely the Mavs couldn’t do it again? Obviously they did, in five games this time.

Then, the big bad Miami Heat. Dallas dispatched of the “Big 3” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in six games and hoisted their first and only championship trophy and banner in 2011.

Dallas finished with a 16-5 record in the playoffs. That is one of the better marks through the playoffs we’ve ever seen and it was done by the three-seed in the West, not even the favorite to come out of the Western Conference. If this is one of the criteria for the ranking, it is far too low.

Next: The Legacy

The Road to the Top

Schedule