Dallas Mavericks part of 2 of the Top 8 best games played in the 2010’s

The Dallas Mavericks played a part in two of ESPN’s “Top 8 games of the 2010’s”. Both of these games were from the immaculate 2011 NBA Championship run that the Mavs went on, but one of them was actually in a loss?

The Dallas Mavericks have been a part of some of the most entertaining games of this decade. This really comes as no surprise to anyone who knew the team prior to the recent rebuild. For several years, Dallas was one of the best teams in the Western Conference and for several years, they were one of the most entertaining teams in the league.

Some games that could have made this list (in my opinion) were more about iconic moments for Dirk Nowitzki as opposed to just great NBA games. So I do understand why they were left off the list at the very least. Other games will forever be remembered by Mavs fans, but had less impact on the NBA as a whole.

The Mavs beating the two-time defending champion L.A. Lakers in the second round of the playoffs sounds big, but when you sweep them with a +56 point differential, people tend to treat it as less iconic, especially when the final game was won by 36. If I were picking two games from the Mavs decade, I would say that ESPN got one of them right.

The other one I would pick would probably be Game 3 of the Western Conference first round in 2014. The Mavs were playing the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs and the Spurs were getting more than they bargained for in a 1 vs. 8 matchup. The game was great with runs for both teams, trading buckets in the last minutes and one big shot that will be remembered forever.

Obviously I don’t get to pick the games for ESPN, so let’s look at the games they chose. The first one came in ranked at number 7 from round one of the 2011 Western Conference playoffs between the Mavs and the Portland Trail Blazers. Keep in mind that this was still a year before Damian Lillard was even drafted, so no 35-footers in this game.

Instead, this was game 4 of the series, when Portland beat Dallas to tie the series at 2-2. The reason this game was so special? This was essentially the last breath of life from one of the most incredible players who’s career ended too early. Brandon Roy was one of the most fun players to watch in the league for several years, but bad knees took over his time in the NBA and he only played in 5 seasons, all of them shortened due to injury.

In this game, Roy was incredible and led the Blazers to a victory despite a 21-point deficit with just over 12 minutes to play. The Mavs ended up winning the series, so we are allowed to talk about how great this game was for Roy and the Blazers fans that got one more real glimpse at the star that was gone too soon.

The second game for the Mavs was the 4th ranked game overall and it was the game 2 comeback in the 2011 Finals. The Miami Heat led the game by 15 points with just over 7 minutes left to play before Dallas mounted their comeback. The Mavs stormed back and took a 3-point lead with just 26 seconds left on the clock. A quick three from Mario Chalmers tied the game with 24.5 seconds left and then Dirk got the ball. Mavs won the game 95-93 in regulation.

The Mavs have been a part of some incredible games this decade and will be a part of many in the coming decade as well. We are just glad to see that ESPN recognizes the amazing run in 2011 for what it was.