<P> The 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010 -- 11 season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) in which the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 2 to win their first NBA championship . The series was held from May 31 to June 12 , 2011 . German player Dirk Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP , becoming the second European to win the award after Tony Parker ( 2007 ) and the first German player to do so . The series was a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals , which the Heat had won in six games . </P>
<P> The 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010 -- 11 season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) in which the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 2 to win their first NBA championship . The series was held from May 31 to June 12 , 2011 . German player Dirk Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP , becoming the second European to win the award after Tony Parker ( 2007 ) and the first German player to do so . The series was a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals , which the Heat had won in six games . </P>
who did the mavericks play in the finals
who did the mavericks play in the finals
Miami Heat
Miami Heat