“Maybe it was even a good thing for me as a player to lose that series” - Dirk Nowitzki was glad the Mavericks lost in the 2006 Finals

Dirk Nowitzki embraced the role and responsibility of being the superstar for the Dallas Mavericks early in his career. During the 2000s, Dirk averaged 20+ points per game to lead the Mavs to unprecedented success. It peaked in the 2006 Playoffs when they reached the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

The Mavs won Games 1 and 2 but lost the next four games. Dwyane Wade carried the Heat to victory , but it was a tough lesson for Dirk and Dallas. However, that motivated the team ahead of their magical 2011 run to the Finals, beating the Heat in a rematch from five years prior.

“Nothing in life is gonna be given to you, nothing is gonna come easy, you have to work for it. Maybe it was even a good thing for me as a player to lose that series in ‘06,” Dirk said in his first interview after winning the 2011 title. “Come out of it as a better player and human being, and be smarter when the game is on the line. I took that one on the chin in ‘06, I took it rough, and I put a lot of blame on myself. I had to regroup, kept working, and ultimately, it paid off.”

Dirk learned what is needed to win a championship

After having a successful couple of games in 2006, the Mavs looked set to win the title. Unfortunately, they had to endure a magical performance from Wade, propelling the Heat to their first-ever NBA championship.

Dirk and the Mavs had to suffer through that loss, but bouncing back was not as linear as they would have loved. The season after, Dallas won 67 games to head into the 2007 Playoffs as the favorite. Dallas disappointed again, as they lost to the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors , coached by legendary Mavs head coach, Don Nelson.

It was another heartbreaker for Dirk, but it was another lesson learned. Four years after getting upset by the Warriors, the Mavs had an opportunity to burst through the Western Conference yet again.

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The 2011 championship run is legendary

After all the hardships the Mavs faced in five previous years, Dallas finally achieved its ultimate goal in 2011. They had a favorable path to the NBA Finals, highlighted by their sweep of the two-time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals. It was the Mavs’ year, but most prominently, it was Dirk’s time to shine.

He had a legendary performance , and not once did he show any complacency. The German was focused on helping his team return to the NBA Finals after five years, and once he was there, Nowitzki showed what he learned from the previous defeats.

In the rematch against Miami, Dirk scored 26.0 points and grabbed 9.7 rebounds per game. He was the man on the mission against the loaded Miami team that had Wade with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Despite all the talent in the series, Dirk out-shone everyone and won the title and the Finals MVP, culminating his five-year redemption story.

Related: "I thought we were going to finish together like Stockton and Malone" - When Dirk thought he and Steve Nash would win a championship together