Shawn Marion says Dallas Mavericks laughed off underdog status against the Miami Heat in 2011 Finals
Former Heat forward Shawn Marion was on the winning side of one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history.
He was a key member of the Dallas Mavericks when they knocked off the Miami Heat in 2011. It was the year the Heat introduced the Big Three era of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
The Mavericks entered as huge underdogs but won the series 4-2, capturing it on the Heat's home court. Marion recently spoke with The Athletic about how they responded to the pundits who gave them no shot.
“Everybody that picked Miami to win it before it started, we was laughing,” Marion said. “We thought y’all was full of shit, to be honest with you. We was one of the three or four teams at the time, that going into the season, legitimately had a chance to win a championship. If you didn’t see that, I don’t know what the hell you was looking at. I guess you wasn’t looking at the TV.”
Marion, who played for the Heat from 2007-09, averaged 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the series. He was considered the Mavericks' third-best player behind Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki and guard Jason Terry. After trailing 2-1 in the series, Dallas won the next three games. The upset was shocking because a few months earlier the Big Three proclaimed they would win "multiple" championships when meeting Miami fans for the first time in a ceremony at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat eventually won consecutive titles in 2012 and 2013 before breaking up after another Finals loss the following year.
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