That goes to show how much I know. Mark Cuban was absolutely correct with his emotional prediction.

The Dallas Mavericks are your 2011 NBA Champions, ladies and gentlemen. And just like that, the celebration begins as the mischievous plot of the NBA’s NWO (that would be the Miami Heat) is foiled.

After my analysis of Game 1, in no way could I have fathomed that I’d be dissecting how the Heat lost this series five games later.

How did Dallas do it? Here are some of the keys to their first victorious championship series:

Game 2 gave them confidence. Dallas had just lost Game 1, and it seemed that they would not have the horsepower to take down the super talented Miami Heat. Dirk led all scorers in the series opener, but his efforts alone were not going to be enough. And in that first game, Jason Terry and J.J. Barea didn’t show up at all. Couple that with the fact that the Mavs looked to have its fate sealed in the second game, and Dallas’ chances weren’t looking good. But Dallas continued a trend that they had begun against Los Angeles and Oklahoma City – they orchestrated one of the most memorable late game comebacks in route to stealing Game 2 in American Airlines Arena. This confirmed that this was going to be a hard fought battle, and not a showcase for the Big Three.

Chris Bosh was hardly a disappointment for the Heat.

LeBron James displayed his magic. LeBron’s size and skill has earned him comparisons to Earvin “Magic” Johnson, but that ‘magic’ always came up big in the game’s most clutch situations. James, who had spectacular late game heroics in their last two series, found a way to disappear almost each and every game in the critical moments. He’s been the best player in the regular season over the last three years, but he wasn’t even the second-best player on his team in this series (Wade, Bosh – check his efficiency and consistency).

Dirk inspired his teammates. Nowitzki did what he has continued to do for years. The seven-footer has turned awkward shot-making into a science. This unique ability has made him virtually unguardable throughout the years, but, like all of the sport’s best players, his dream could only be accomplished by harnessing the talents of his fellow roster mates. Nowitzki’s Game 1 performance spoke loud and clear to the Heat that he was going to give it all that he had. In the upcoming games, you could see other members of his team slowly getting their games together and becoming contributors. It was as if the shock of being in the spotlight had finally worn off. But it was Dirk’s example that jump-started the Mavericks’ ability to seize the moment.

Dallas gave up very few easy baskets. The Maverick defense set a standard that other teams seemed to shy away from against the Heat. Rick Carlisle instructed his team to keep Miami from making posters, and put them on the line, if necessary. It was a philosophy that ultimately paid off in the series ending game, with the Heat shooting a horrendous 20-33 from the charity stripe.

Cuban is, perhaps, his team's biggest fan.

Mark Cuban stayed the course. Years ago, Cuban seemed to be a very annoying, spoiled millionaire. Pushy, loud, outspoken – all adjectives to describe one of David Stern’s biggest pests. But over time, I think we’ve come to see a different Cuban – one who has an unyielding passion to have a successful team and to bring a championship to his city. He’s clearly one of the biggest ‘owner-fans’ in the league, and there’s a certain bit of charm to his continuous presence at Maverick games. In the summer of 2004, Cuban allowed Steve Nash to leave Dallas. And after he immediately won back-to-back MVP, it appeared that Nash’s individual success proved that the Dallas owner had made an errant decision. But Nash could never get the Suns over the hump into the Finals, and now Nowitzki has just dusted off his second Finals appearance with a series victory. Kudos to Cuban for sticking to his guns and making it work.

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