presentation. Nowitzki took home the NBA Finals MVP honors after averaging 26 points a game during the series, shedding the Mavericks label as "soft" and putting an end to the Mavericks' post-season futility. 2011–2013: Post-championship struggles and later absence from playoffs The 2011–12 season was shortened to 66 games due to a lockout, which meant the Mavericks had to wait until Christmas Day to raise their first championship banner. During the brief off-season, owner Mark Cuban decided to maintain financial flexibility by letting Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, J.J. Barea, and Caron Butler go. Chandler signed with the New York Knicks, Stevenson joined the New Jersey Nets, Barea went to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Butler joined the Los Angeles Clippers. Meanwhile, they acquired incumbent Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom via a trade with the Lakers, while signing veterans Vince Carter and Delonte West. The Mavericks raised their championship banner before their Finals rematch with the Heat on Christmas Day. Still, in what would soon become a mirror image of the 2006–07 Heat's eventual failed title defense, Miami blew them out in a 105–94 loss, marking Dallas's first regular season loss to Miami in eight seasons. Things did not get better for Dallas after starting the season 0–3, losing to the Thunder in a playoff rematch on December 29. As the calendar turned to 2012, the Mavericks won 14 of 18 games in January, but they posted a 22–22 record the rest of the way, eventually finishing 7th with a 36–30 record, their lowest finish since the 2007–08 season. Nowitzki produced 21.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 45.7% shooting, his most insufficient numbers since the 2000–01 season. Meanwhile, Odom, who proved to be a bad fit for the Mavericks, was deactivated for the final two months of the season. In a rematch from the previous year, the Mavericks faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs. Games 1 and 2 went down to the wire, but the Mavericks fell short on both occasions as Kevin Durant made a game-winning jumper in Game 1, and late-game free throws in Game 2. Back in Dallas for Game 3, the Mavericks suffered a 95–79 defeat to fall behind 0–3. In Game 4, the Mavericks led for much of the second half, but James Harden's 15-point fourth-quarter rallied the Thunder to a 103–97 win to eliminate the defending champions.