Puerto Rican goalkeeper José Juan Barea revealed the entries and exits of the 2011 final, where his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, defeated the Miami Heat of LeBron James and company in six games.
Barea talked about this and more during a review of his career in the podcast of New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick with Tommy Alter.
“It was amazing to see how he prepared for that year. He (Dirk Nowitzki) won’t say it, but he hated Heat, LeBron, Dwayne Wade and Cris Bosh,” Barea said.
“I couldn’t stand them. He doesn’t talk too much, he leads by example. But that specific year, in the dead and in the first half, he always had the upper hand,” he added.
Before match 4 of the 2011 final, which he led 2-1, a video came out about LeBron and Wade making fun of Nowitzki’s cold. They paid dearly for the mockery as the Mavericks won the next three games, winning the first title in their history as an organization.
“When LeBron and Wade made fun of him, it hurt a lot. He would never say it, but he saw the video and it bothered him. It was the ‘extra’ he needed to raise his level even more. a lot and finish the series, “he said. The German striker ended up winning the MVP of the final.
Barea was one of the key players in that “clothing” rotation of Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, among others. The Mavericks announced a few weeks ago that they are leaving the Puerto Rican after 11 seasons in Dallas. Barea is still waiting for an offer for an NBA team, but without arriving, he said he would like to play abroad and even in the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico (BSN).