DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd are at the point in their careers where the only thing they care about is winning a championship.
Luckily for them, their teammates feel the same way.
From Shawn Marion to Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler to Brendan Haywood, Peja Stojakovic to DeShawn Stevenson, the Dallas Mavericks are a collection of guys who’ve played at least 10 seasons and made tens of millions of dollars without winning a title.
Their willingness to accept whatever playing time and other individual stats they pile up is a major reason Dallas is in the NBA Finals.
“This is a bunch of veterans who want to play and are unselfish,” Nowitzki said. “I think that’s what makes this group special, I mean, everybody sacrificing for each other, and we just want to win. It’s been fun to play with these guys all season long, so hopefully we can have a great series.”
The Finals are an interesting clash in team-building formulas.
The Miami Heat has three main stars — Dwyane Wade, and the pals he lured last summer, LeBron James and Chris Bosh — plus the best role players they could afford with the remaining room under the salary cap.
Dallas was built to be deep and versatile. The Mavs knew Nowitzki would be the main option every night, with Kidd guiding the offense, but the No. 2 scorer and other roles would depend on matchups or who had the hot hand.
Heat vs. Mavericks
Best of seven All games on KMGH-7
Tuesday: At Miami, 7 p.m. Thursday: At Miami, 7 p.m.
June 5: At Dallas, 6 p.m.
June 7: At Dallas, 7 p.m.
June 9: At Dallas, 7 p.m.*
June 12: At Miami, 6 p.m.*
June 14: At Miami, 7 p.m.*
* – if necessary
