10 Greatest NBA Finals performers in Dallas Mavericks history

2. Dirk Nowitzki

A case can be made for Dirk Nowitzki as the best NBA Finals performer in Dallas Mavericks history. After all, he is the biggest reason the franchise has one banner up in the rafters.

In his first-ever appearance in the championship round, he recorded 22.8 points per game, and his average of 10.8 rebounds per contest led all players, including Shaquille O'Neal. A knock on Nowitzki's performance that year, though, was his sloppy scoring (39.0 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc.) Perhaps the lack of a true playmaker hurt his efficiency.

He more than made up for it in 2011, as he had 26.0 points and 9.7 boards per match en route to securing the only Finals MVP in the organization's history.

The former MVP had several signature performances in that year's Finals, including displaying his clutch genes in Game 2 to help Dallas mount a successful comeback and tie the series 1-1.

In Game 3, he registered 34 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in a loss that had them trailing 2-1. The tension among the Mavs faithful in the following meeting because Nowitzki was under the weather. Fortunately, the German legend still managed to put up a team-high 21 points to lead Dallas to victory, marking one of the greatest moments of his NBA career.

Then, in Game 6, he overcame a rough start, where he shot just 1-12 from the field in the first half. The clutch icon poured in 10 of his 21 points in the fourth period to help Dallas get the victory and the trophy.