Debunking the Myth that Dirk Carried the 2011 Mavericks (Thread):

It’s a common myth that the 2011 Mavs were a team full of bums that Dirk carried but in reality they had one of the best supporting casts in the league.

The Mavericks may not have had any all star’s, but 4 players were sub all star level that season:

• Jason Terry

• Shawn Marion

• Jason Kidd

• Tyson Chandler

Starting off with Terry who’s one of the greatest 6th men in league history. He was a good shot creator and off ball player off the bench that kept the team afloat. That season he averaged 20-5 per 75 on +0.4 rTS while shooting 36% from 3.

Terry’s largest contribution was in the 2nd round of the playoffs where he outplayed Kobe head to head.

Terry: 20-4 on 76% TS and 59-68-86 shooting splits

Kobe: 23-3 on 52% TS and 45-23-80 shooting splits

Terry also went head to head with LeBron in the finals, often blowing by him and took on the challenge of battling one of the best defenders in the league.

Next is Shawn Marion who is one of the most versatile defenders in NBA history. Marion’s offensive contributions were decent, a good cutter and 12 PPG scorer, but his defense was invaluable.

The Mavericks had the 8th best defense in the league despite Dirk being a clear negative on that end, this is largely due to Marion.

Marion’s defense was a large reason why the Mavericks were able to contain LeBron in the finals, he took on the challenge of defending the best player in the world head to head.

Kidd was a great 2 way guard. Offensively he was a good playmaker/passer and shooter, defensively he was a top 5 defensive guard ever with excellent versatility.

Kidd was great in passing lanes averaging 2.7 STL/100 but he was also great man to man.

He also helped contain LeBron in the finals, being able to switch onto him 1 on 1 and provide help.

Last is Tyson Chandler, offensively Chandler was an efficient scorer and a great lob threat but his defense was his main contribution, he served as the Mavericks primary rim protector.

His rim protection helped anchor the 8th best defense in the league and he often had to cover up for Dirk being below average on that end.

His rim protection also helped keep LeBron from attacking the rim and forced him to settle for jumpers.

Kidd, Marion, and Chamdler’s elite defense on LeBron:

While Dirk played a floor raising floor offensively, the Mavericks provided him with great spacing and an excellent defense.

Some more shooters on the squad:

• Peja Stojaković (40% 3P)

• DeShawn Stevenson (37% 3P)

• Sasha Pavlović (44% 3P)

• Brian Cardinal (48% 3P)

Overall the Mavericks took 27.4% of their overall shots from 3 point range which ranked 3rd in the NBA that season. The spacing gave Dirk room to operate offensively.

While people talk about Dirk’s impressive playoff run, what many people fail to mention is how the Mavericks defense shut down opponents’s stars in the postseason.

Stars stopped by the Mavericks defense:

• LaMarcus Aldridge

• Kevin Durant

• Kobe Bryant

• LeBron James

Overall the Mavs were a great defense and a well spaced team that played to Dirk’s strengths perfectly and won a championship TOGETHER. No carrying involved.

End of Thread.