Editing Dallas Mavericks (section)

====2010–2011: Championship season====
{{see also|2011 NBA Finals}}
[[File:Mark Cuban at the Championship parade.jpg|thumb|right|Mavericks owner [[Mark Cuban]] holding the [[Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy]] during the championship parade]]
After yet another first-round exit, the Mavericks began an unexpectedly early off-season. The first order of business for [[Mark Cuban]] and the Mavericks<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/2011.html |title=2010–11 Dallas Mavericks Roster and Stats |work=basketball-reference.com |access-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-date=March 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323233719/https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/2011.html |url-status=live}}</ref> was to re-sign [[Dirk Nowitzki]], and they did so on July 4, 2010, when the Mavericks and Nowitzki agreed to a four-year deal worth $80 million. On July 13, the Mavericks, after losing the opportunity to sign [[LeBron James]], [[Dwyane Wade]], or [[Amar'e Stoudemire]], acquired centers [[Tyson Chandler]] and [[Alexis Ajinça]] from the [[Charlotte Bobcats]] for center [[Erick Dampier]], forward [[Eduardo Nájera]], and guard [[Matt Carroll (basketball)|Matt Carroll]]. ''[[USA Today]]'' called this trade one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, saying Chandler "was the perfect fit during his first season with the Mavericks, anchoring their defense on the way to the franchise's first championship."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2016/02/16/most-one-sided-trades-nba-history-kobe-bryant-vlade-divac/80398520/ |title=The most lopsided trades in NBA history |website=USA Today |last=Neuharth-Keusch |first=AJ |date=February 17, 2016 |access-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-date=November 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108224403/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2016/02/16/most-one-sided-trades-nba-history-kobe-bryant-vlade-divac/80398520/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2010–11 campaign saw the Mavericks fly out of the gate, winning 24 out of their first 29 games. However, on December 27, Dirk Nowitzki sustained a knee injury that derailed the Mavericks' momentum. The team's second-leading scorer [[Caron Butler]] suffered a season-ending knee injury himself only four nights later. The Mavericks then went on to drop seven of their next nine games, causing serious concern as to who would lead the offense in Nowitzki's absence. However, this injury would prove to only be a temporary setback because Nowitzki only missed nine games and admittedly rushed back to assist the Mavericks' reeling offense. Consequently, they quickly returned to their winning ways. The Mavericks re-invented their defensive reputation around the league during the 2010–11 campaign, mostly in part to off-season acquisition Tyson Chandler (who was later named to the All-Defensive Second Team).<ref>{{cite web |first=Jeff |last=Caplan |title=Dirk: Chandler helps Mavs D |work=ESPN Dallas |date=December 20, 2010 |access-date=March 22, 2022 |url=https://www.espn.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=5939497 |archive-date=February 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217032843/http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=5939497 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Mavericks battled the San Antonio Spurs all season long for the division title, but instead settled for the third seed, with a 57–25 record. The Mavericks had a lousy reputation of struggling during the playoffs; many predicted them to be eliminated in the first round against the six-seeded [[Portland Trail Blazers]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Expert Picks", 2011 NBA Playoffs – First Round – Trailblazers vs. Mavericks |publisher=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs/2011/matchup/_/teams/trailblazers-mavericks |access-date=May 8, 2013 |archive-date=June 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613152417/http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2011/matchup/_/teams/trailblazers-mavericks |url-status=live}}</ref> Yahoo! Sports analyst [[Adrian Wojnarowski]] even went so far as to predict a sweep for the Trail Blazers.

The Mavs won Games 1 and 2 on their home floor in convincing fashion. However, upon their arrival at the Rose Garden in Portland, problems began to arise. After dropping game three to Portland, the Mavericks blew a 23-point fourth-quarter lead in game four to allow Portland to tie the series at two games apiece. The whispers then began to re-surface that the Mavericks would let another impressive regular season go down the drain.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jason |last=Quick |title=Trail Blazers-Mavericks: Game 5 will reveal psychological impact of dramatic Portland comeback |work=Oregon Live |date=April 24, 2011 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/04/trail_blazers-mavericks_game_5.html |access-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617115500/http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/04/trail_blazers-mavericks_game_5.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Mavericks then responded, posting back-to-back wins to oust the Blazers in six games. They then met the two-time defending champion [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in the Western Conference Semi-finals. This series would be the first and only time that [[Kobe Bryant]] met Dirk Nowitzki in a playoff series and was expected to be extremely competitive; however, it did not prove the case. The Mavericks shocked the NBA world by winning the first two games in Los Angeles, heading back to Dallas. They then won a thrilling game three in Dallas, courtesy of 32 points from Nowitzki in a 98–92 victory. The Mavericks then provided the perfect "exclamation point"<ref>{{cite web |first=Robert |last=Dougherty |title=Lakers Vs. Mavericks Game 4 Decisively Ends L.A. Dynasty |work=Yahoo! Voices |date=May 9, 2011 |url=http://voices.yahoo.com/lakers-vs-mavericks-game-4-decisively-ends-la-dynasty-8442789.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616025651/http://voices.yahoo.com/lakers-vs-mavericks-game-4-decisively-ends-la-dynasty-8442789.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 16, 2013}}</ref> crushing the Lakers in Game 4 by a final score of 122–86. In that game, Jason Terry set an NBA playoff record with nine three-pointers with just one miss, ousting the Lakers in a four-game sweep. The Mavericks then met the upstart [[Oklahoma City Thunder]] in the Western Conference finals. Dirk Nowitzki set the tone in the series in game one with a 48-point performance, with the Mavericks taking Game 1 by a score of 121–112. The Thunder then responded with 106–100 victory in Game 2. The Mavericks then won the next three games, including a 15-point comeback in Game 4, to take the five-game series. The Mavericks claimed their second Western Conference Championship in franchise history and met the team that defeated them in the 2006 NBA Finals, the [[Miami Heat]].

The Mavericks entered the 2011 NBA Finals as underdogs, due to Miami's [[Big Three (Miami Heat)|Big Three]] coming together at the start of the season. After dropping Game 1 in Miami by a score of 92–84, the Mavs needed more than just Nowitzki to score, with Nowitzki even calling out teammate Jason Terry earlier in the playoffs. In the fourth quarter of Game 2, with the Mavericks trailing 88–73, Dallas was desperate to avoid a 0–2 heading back home. Dallas then staged a comeback, going on a 22–5 run to end the game, stunned the Heat with a game two victory, and evened the series at one game apiece. After the series shifted back to Dallas, the Mavericks lost in Game 3, with Nowitzki narrowly missing the potential game-tying shot, by a final score of 88–86. Dallas yet again showed their resiliency, winning a pivotal Game 4 with Nowitzki hitting multiple big shots down the stretch to tie the series at two. Game 5 was a bit of an offensive showcase, with both teams breaking 100 points for the first time in the series. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry both hit huge shots down the stretch, and the Mavericks defeated the Heat 112–103, putting them one game from their first-ever NBA title. Three nights later, the Mavericks captured their first-ever NBA title with a 105–95 victory, completely reversing what had happened in the 2006 NBA Finals. Nowitzki scored 21, including 18 in the second half, and Terry provided 27 points off the Dallas bench. Nowitzki was so emotional after the game that he headed to the locker room before the game had concluded, and had to be coaxed back onto the floor for the NBA Championship trophy presentation. Nowitzki took home the NBA Finals MVP honors after averaging 26 points a game during the series, shedding the Mavericks label as "soft" and putting an end to the Mavericks' postseason futility.