2011 Mavs vs Lakers: The Series That BROKE Kobe's Championship Lakers (Full Story Behind the Sweep) 

Dirk Nowitzki 2011 ring run eliminated - Brandon Roy Aldridge Blazers (4-2) - Kobe Gasol Lakers (4-0) - KD Russ Thunder (4-1) - Big 3 Miami Heat (4-2) A truly legendary run by the Dallas Mavericks which covered up Dirk’s embarrassing losses like to the 8 seed Warriors or Wade torching them in 06

You never hear about this series. It’s like the 2011 Mavs just teleported to the finals. And then they “got lucky” and played a Heat team that “hadn’t figured it out yet”

As a Lakers fan, I'll never forget this series.. That Dallas Mavericks team.. Played great the entire playoffs, especially in the Finals.. They're whole team played great, plus Dirk was a man on a mission.. It was just there time to win the title.. Mad respect to the 2011 Dallas Mavs.. Well deserved title

Wade and James being humbled by Dirk is something else for sure. They mock dirk when he was sick and look what happened? They lost to that underdog team

Sometimes I forget Kobe is gone and then I find these vids and I remember and it breaks my heart 😢

I’m the only mavs fan in a family of laker fans. Every year they laughed at me for rooting for a losing team while they celebrated laker rings. They weren’t laughing on Mother’s Day 2011 though

Peja played as if it was 2002 all over again and he was out for revenge

As a Kobe fan, it was tough seeing my guy not get that second 3-peat!

To sum it up the Lakers were done. They had been to the finals non-stop the last three years and won back to back. Gasol had declined and so had Artest and Fisher. Kobe had maybe a few years chances at a chip had Stern not vetoed the Chris Paul trade.

Hearing that name “Jason Terry” a lot this vid because dude was different that postseason. 😭

Phil Jackson always seems to be leaving as soon as things start to go south 💀

Lakers fan here getting flashbacks of Peja, Terry and Barrea. I’m not not gonna call it “fluky”, but these dudes could NOT miss.

The unofficial word was Shannon Brown was smashing Pau's girl, creating serious locker room issues.

When Phil Jacksons teams decided to mail it in, they did it with style. 03, 08 and 11 is just bizarre endings to seasons.

I remember this series I kept on expecting the Lakers to come back and win one. No expected the Mavs to sweep the Lakers.

The death of the triangle offense Dirk and Co. just wanted it more after years of coming up short in previous playoff games

Jason Terry doing the airplane is iconic

Looking back, the Dallas Mavericks roster was loaded for that 2011 playoff run. A lot of amazing players that were on other good NBA rosters that fell short all seemed to band together and win that coveted ring during that special 2011 season. I was especially glad for Dirk, Jason "The Jet" Terry and especially Jason Kidd during that incredible championship run.

People don’t give Lamar Odom credit for being that stretch 4 that could do everything. He could bring the ball up, shoot, pass, rebound, whatever was needed. He would be in the game late at the 4 with Gasol at the 5

When Kobe quit in that fourth game, but no one mentioned that.

Lakers ran into a buzzsaw. The 2011 Mavs caught fire at the right time and rode it. Would have taken a legendary opponent to beat them.

I don’t think people realize how stacked this team was. They remind me of last year’s championship nuggets team. Just stacked from top to bottom.

The series haters pretend didn’t happen just to talk trash about lebron

With San Antonio losing in round 1 to 8th seed Memphis, this sweep ended the decade plus hegemony of the Lakers or Spurs playing in June.

the way they talk about about the 2011 playoffs, i thought it was illegal to mention this series!

Tbh though it was the lakers 4th attempt to get to the finals. I think people forget that lakers already made it to 3 finals and until the heat, warriors, Cavs, getting to 4 straight finals was unheard of in a long time. Kobe also lost to the champs in 2011 and then the team that made the finals in 2012 so he lost to the best teams in the conference

As a LeBron & Kobe fan. I hated that either of them won the title this season. As yrs went on though and dirk retiring, I'm glad he got that title. He didn't deserve to be one of the players to retire without a ring.

this mavs team prevented kobe and lebron to three- peat

Fitting that you made this video considering the Mavs are once again going on an incredible hot streak in the postseason

Dirks Finals performance was nothing short of legendary! He DESERVED that championship!

That 2011 Mavs teams was special. They smacked the shit out of my Lakers. I was happy that Dirk and J-Kidd finally got their 1st ring against Lebron and Wade, who, if you remember vividly in the finals match-up, were clowing and undermining Dirk and some flu/cold that he was playing through. The Mavs were just on a mission that year and got hot at the right time for that playoff-run. Respect!

Finally someone covered it. 🤦🏾‍♂️ thank you. In a symbolic type of way this ended the Kobe era although to me he was still the best player until the Achilles season

Amazingly tofsy, thr same Jason Kidd is coaching the Dallas Mavericks to another NBA Finals appearance...their first since

And you can't forget Brian Cardinal the janitor. 😂

This Series Killed The Lakers Franchise. The Lakers Were Never The Same Again.

I vividly remember this year and this series. I was rooting for the Lakers, but the Mavs earned all my respect at that time. The run from Dirk and the Mavs that year, one of the best I've ever seen. Beat so many old foes and so many things coming full circle. Always thought Dirk was soft, but this year made up for his whole career. What an incredible run it was. Thanks for this in-depth breakdown, I remember the first 3 games being really close as well.

Nobody talks how big Tyson chandler was for the Mavs!! He was the X factor man he helped dirk so much just to be himself !

Dirk was going off that year..It's like he unleashed all his peak potential that same year..no1 was on his level that year not even Kobe..who's miles finally caught up to him..simply couldn't believe he was the same player that year..wish he could've run it back like that..but even if he did no one was stopping the Warriors after that..

Pau Gasol was a superstar as well....Great win for Dallas

For me as a Lakers fan, this series is always a big "oh god damnit, those Mavs were lucky". But the 2011 Mavs were in so many close games and always found a way to win those. It is not lucky anymore if you are so consistent with it. And the run the Mavs had was so historic and actually cemented Dirk as one of the best european players to ever play in this league. It happened just to the right gut. Always calm and down to earth and a very humble human being. I tip my hat to the 2011 Mavericks. Fully deserved beatdown on my Lakers :)

Peja was sick n tired of LA. I know he wanted to beat Phil, Derek, Kobe and the Lakers so badly and to finally get over that hump. Bro lost to LA like 3 straight years in the playoffs in the previous decade.

After the Mavs swept the Lakers I know no one can beat the Mavs in a 7-game series.

That foul by Andre Bynum on jj Berea was crazy....I guess Ron arrested was his mentor that year

IMO, and I have said this for years, the Lakers have YET to recover from this. Take that bubble 'ship away. Dallas broke that franchise and even Lebron can't fix it.

I kept telling this to the people who dont watch Nba since 2000 the mavs started the 3pt shooting barrage before gsw

Great video to highlight this forgotten event of the play offs...everyone expected the lakers to three peat..but forgot how dallas and what dallas overcame within the west to even get to the finals. Nuff respect

The series that Kobe’s fanbase doesn't want you to remember. Mamba mentality forever!

The 2011 Mavericks is an example of a good team playing to the best of their ability and beating teams that had more talent than they did. Tyson Chandler was huge for them that year. Dirk Nowitzski also played his best he ever had. Then they had Shawn Marion and Jason Terry Jason Kidd.

Excellent well crafted video thank you

Kobe really knew how to get blown out when he lost. 2006, 2008, & 2011 were some of the ugliest elimination blowouts in NBA playoff history. It's something so easily looked over in Kobe's career. His teams literally just gave up.

The year where Kobe and Lebron could have met for the first time in the finals. Kobe didn't hold up his end this time, unfortunately.

That dirty foul on JJ Barea was the beginning of the end for Andrew Bynum.

That Bynum elbow could've ended up very very bad for the Mavs. I was so heated that time.

Awesome video nice to relive this championship run

I remember that series. The Lakers had real locker room issues and the issues spilled onto the court. Shannon brown was tagging gasols girl. Bynum was shooting 3s and committing bogus flagrant fouls and gasols head wasn't even in the game. Phil.. the 1st time ever had punched a player ( gasol) in the chest while he was coming off the court.. telling him to get his head in the game.

The Lakers were still getting free throws back then😂😂

All dynastys end eventually. That mavs teams didnt have a dynasty though. Its hard

Mavs shot 70% from 3 this series lmao thats insane

Im a biased Laker Fan, and I think can attribute to the Lakers being burnt out. They had made the finals 3 straight years in a row, and lost Ariza who couldve came off the bench for Artest. Didnt have Bynum in 2008, in the loss to the big three (3) Celtics. The warriors made the finals from 2015-2019, but they had BIG help from KD in 2017 and 2018. To the Dallas' credit, ugh, The had an ABSOLUTELY determined and experience veteran squad in Kidd, Stojakovic, Terry, Chandler, Marion who had deep playoff (kidd x2 nba finals) familiarity. Kidd, Terry, and Stojakovic, with Dirk were could knock down shots and heat up from the perimeter. JJ Barea was also young and dynamic and could penetrate to the basket and make shots as well. So it was based on the Lakers age and wear and tear catching up to them... on top of an experienced depth veteran Mavs squad, that just happened to be a nightmare matchup that postseason for the Lakers. 😢😢😢😢

This was Lakers season to lose. They kept the same team and never knew the 3 point game would change. If they had thought about adjusting their game with 3 point range they would been a really tough team to beat.

You forgot to mention why Pau struggled mentally this series was because brown slept with his fiancee.

2009 was the best shot at a Kobe-Lebron Finals.We wouldve got it if Orlando hadn't upset Cleveland 4-2 in ECF,& since my Nuggets lost 4-2 to the Lakers in WCF.

This was Kobe's last dance.. That's why Mike is the GOAT imo

Damn JJ Barrea took down Kobe Bron and Wade in a single post season

Dirk 41,truly completed business🏆..icon,legend,GOAT!!!

This is the series that trying to HIDE and forget by jordashian and kobenian

We all knew what was at stake: Everyone knew Phil Jackson was stepping down at the end of the season, and the Lakers were trying to go out on a high note. Plus with the salary cap coming in this was Dallas’ last great shot at a title since they weren’t able to blow past the salary cap.

It's a shame Kobe was not able to get his 6th ring, but if Dallas had been able to keep this 2011 team the Mavs could have easily had a dynasty. What a legendary group of players they are. I wonder how they would fare against this year's 2024 Luka Doncic team? Oh and Fff Andrew Bynum.

Why they pick on JJ? 😂 they couldn’t believe the short king was carving them up.

More series videos like this pleaseeee

This series was Peja's revenge for the Lakers/Kings series of the early 2000s lmao

Peja got his revenge after Kings lost

That Andrew Bynum foul was so gross...

Game 4 will always be known to the Mavs fans as the "Mother's Day Massacre"

I wish I had GTA 4 in 2011 so i would had gone off on the LCPD for The Lakers losing to Dallas I would had lit the LCPD on fire because of this series

Bro as a long time lakers fan and Kobe being my favorite player I remember this series vividly we essentially were out of it every game

Fantastic breakdown and I’m glad I found your channel. Thank you for this. I’m a huge student of the game and at this point Kobe Bryant was my second favorite player of all time. And I never even rationalize in the overall scheme of the NBA that the Lakers with Bynum and Gasol being taken down was kind of the changing of the guard in the last remnant of the old NBA feeling you needed size and trying to dominate with twin towers. I never rationalized it as such, but it’s true. What’s more interesting is how you bring up the 2012 Heat as the front runners along with that mid 2000s Phoenix Suns team is basically the creators of the postmodern NBA / basketball game in general. Even though that Miami Heat team was stacked cowardly with two of the top three players in the sport, and arguably the best power “stretch” forward at the time … I remember watching them in 2011 thinking they were not playing to maximized potency. LeBron and Wade would take turns playing how they previously had done the seven years prior as their teams main ball handler, score and facilitator and they would just take turns with it. But I specifically remember LeBron having more trouble that year because teams packed the paint because neither LeBron or wade were known as shooters or long ball shooters. You would want them taking it out of all of the shots on the floor for both of them, and they weren’t exactly surrounded by a litany of spot up shooting And they still on the floor … who was kind of a talentless waste of space both offensively and defensively. But it was the next year when Dwyane Wade decided to play off the ball more as a cutter and post up guy, they made Chris pulled out more to the top of the key and moved LeBron to that power PG position … Adding Shane Batier for excellent, small forward, defense and spot up shooting, that’s when that team really got unlocked for their potential. And then obviously they improved on it even more in 2013 with additional shooting pieces like Ray Allen and Mike Miller. A very interesting breakdown. I think that Laker team was burnt out, three straight years of finals runs is no joke, and they won back to back. They’re two best players Kobe Bryant and Gasol Also played in the Olympics. And Kobe was in his early 30s, had an injury riddle 2011 season small nagging stuff that accumulated. But this was the huge fall off year for Gasol. Which is what did them in, and Bynum’s inability to ascend higher and stay healthy. And Ron Artest brought was starting to fit that 97 and 98 Dennis Rodman mold where what he brought to the floor wasn’t out weighung all of the negativity and instability he brought to the team. That comment about trust within the team, there was also rumors during this time frame that Shannon Brown had slept with Gasol’s wife. Causing locker room drama. And if we’re being really honest, Derek Fisher was a sixth man and a back up point guard who by that point shouldn’t have been a starting point guard for them anyway. Good veteran and locker room leader and knockdown shooter but talent wise he should’ve been replaced. Excellent breakdown. Would love to see you do more of these.

not getting a 3 peat is somthing special. Have you hear a dallas 3 peat? I'll wait I have patience

Yes yes. Will never forget the Mother’s Day Massacre that Sunday when I went back home in amazement as Dallas drained all those 3s

Rip Kobe

Its good you break this series down. As Kobe and MJ fans try to sweep this series under the rug just like the 1995 Bulls vs Magic series where Mj lost to Shaq 🤷🏻‍♂️😬

Kobe was the only one who cared. They were exhausted and didn’t give a F

💥💥I was so happy to see the Mavericks sweep the Lakers and blowout fashion and I'm not even a maverick fan I just can't stand the Lakers.

Yeh that was legendary

😂😂😂people always reference what JJ and Jason Terry did in finals. Did the same thing to Kobe😂😂😂😂

The NBA media, then and now, are doing the same thing to the Mavs. All the teams they've beaten / beating in the playoffs, have been underperforming. So say the media. No mention of the Mavs defense, or some of their lesser known great role players. I'm not saying the Mavs will go all the way but the similarities are uncanny.

Does anyone noticed that the game clock still running after a whistle 17:28 and it took 2 seconds

Timeless. Kid had taken a big liking to our little Puerto Rico player and had built his confidence during the season. J.J. flourished. Barea was amazing, but he got the hell beat out of him in this serious. I couldn’t believe how he could keep getting back up to bring it some more. That little guy was as tough as Chandler. Great season and play off run. And then we had to listen to Dirk’s no singing ability hacking up Queen's song We Are The Champions when the city wouldn’t spring for a championship parade. Wow, what a year for the Mav’s. I wonder just how bad Luka can sing it? It was expected then. It’s not expected now. Stranger things have happened. Oh yea, and brown was shagging gasols old lady. Everyone else keeps bringing that up. A trust issue I suppose.

Dallas Mavericks' run in 2011 is one I binge-watched during the height of the pandemic, and something I appreciate more despite not a fan as years went on. Who've thought they swept the Lakers, spoiled Kobe's second and Phil Jackson's fourth three-peat bids, and in the process ending the team's West dominance. The Mavs dethroned the experienced and talent-laden champs, so it is fitting they won it all. The Mavs could be more deeper if not for Caron Butler's injury, but somewhat a blessing in disguise. Because of this surprise run, their free agents were sought after. It is shame Mark Cuban, who was known spending lavishly regardless of salary cap on his early years as the owner, choked up and failed to extend the contracts of Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Butler. Chandler and Stevenson were missed a lot the next year, swept by the same Thunder they beat in 2011 WCF.

they were pretty old but tbh the mavs were pretty stacked too not quite miami heat levels stacked but if those players were younger the mavs would be a "superteam" too. i think they even had caron butler too and was just injured, crazy lineup tbh, just old so they had alot of former stars that werent quite stars anymore

The triangle offense seemingly became obsolete overnight in this series. The Mavs proved that as long as your forwards (and even center!) can shoot the 3 ball well, the 3 pointer can be a more efficient shot than a 2 pointer. I don’t think it would have changed the result of this series, but the Lakers really screwed up by letting Ariza go after the 2009 championship. Artest was clearly a downgrade from Ariza and the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010 DESPITE artest, not because of him. Having the younger/more athletic Ariza for this series against the Mavs would have made it more competitive especially on all those switches with Barea and Terry.

Why No one speak of the Mavs "Sweep" of the Champion Lakers!

Phil Jackson 3 3peats 1 repeat with the 2 greatest shooting guards to ever play 😮

Jason Terry also outplayed Lebron in the finals. LOL.

Game 1 was the series.....

Dirk getting that ring by himself against big 3 lebron prime Will always go down as the most prestigious championship title 🫡

As a lakers fan idk what hurts more 08 when we were 2 wins away or ‘11 when if we beat the mavs we probably would’ve made the finals and won. Maybe ‘08 just cuz it was 2 wins away from a 🏆 11-12 I thought we had a punchers chance at making the finals & maybe winning it. If we won g4 vs OKC 12-13 no shot as a 7 seed. I think Kobe would’ve got us g4 to not get swept but that’s it unfortunately If only we got cp3 in 11-12. That probably hurts worst than 08

I felt that the Lakers are just too tired having been in 3 straight Finals and that run Kobe and Pau played in the Olympics met in the finals for the gold. Kobe’s knee was also the factor and Pau has some personal issues as well. Meltdown it is but I really loved that Lakers era 3 Finals and 2 rings.

I’m a huge Kobe and LBJ fan… I NEVER want to REMEMBER THIS YEAR AT ALL. Devastating loss. Kobe Swept by Dallas and LBJ lose in game 6 to Dallas in Finals right after smh

We coulda had a Kobe Vs LeBron finals in 2008 but LeBrons Cavs wanted to lose to Dwight’s Magic… and 2011 we coulda got it again but this time Kobes Lakers didn’t wanna beat Dirks Mavs… shit is sick.