The 2011 Road to the Crown: From the Black-Eight Shadow to a Single-Core Title

The 2011 title was far more than a ring for Nowitzki — it was full self-vindication. Before it, his playoff résumé was full of "almost": the 2006 West finals 2-0 lead blown by Phoenix, the 2007 top seed dumped by Golden State's "black eight." Those losses hung the "soft" tag on him and made the 2011 run dramatic.

That postseason, Dallas walked a tense but resolute path. Versus Portland in round one, Dirk was a rock; against the Lakers in round two, Dallas swept the defending champs 4-0, stunning the league; in the West finals versus young Oklahoma City, Nowitzki used experience and range to neutralize Durant and Westbrook and advance. At every step he answered his past self.

The Finals versus Miami were the summit. The opposing Big Three oozed talent and the outside favored Miami, but Nowitzki dragged the series into Dallas's rhythm with series-long dominance. He played hurt and ill, yet scored the big buckets with the fadeaway; when Dallas won 4-2, he took FMVP and shredded the "soft" word for good.

The most moving part of 2011 was its "lone hero" nature. Unlike superteam titles, Dirk's supporting cast were veteran pieces; he was the only true core. That is why this championship is remembered as one of the purest individual-hero titles — a German, carrying a team alone, from the shadow of the black eight to the throne.

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• 2007 NBA MVP: Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)
• Dirk Nowitzki: Glory and Idol— The German Who Raised the Rim Above His Head