Dirk Nowitzki ‘as Close as it Gets’ to Hating the Miami Heat


For Dirk Nowitzki, the Miami Heat remain a thorn in his side. Having faced the South Beach boys twice in the NBA Finals, Nowitzki says his feelings haven’t softened. Per ESPN: “In life, I don’t really hate much,’ Nowitzki said Friday. ‘I’m an easygoing guy, but that’s probably about as close as it gets.’ The 2011 Finals MVP’s deep-seated bitterness toward the Heat date to the 2006 Finals, when Miami won the series in six games despite Dallas building a 2-0 lead, and Dwyane Wade later cited Nowitzki’s lack of leadership as one of the primary reasons the Mavs failed to win the championship. Five years later, with Jason Terry his lone teammate remaining from the 2006 Finals, Nowitzki and the Mavs got their revenge by beating the Heat in six games. […] Wade and Erik Spoelstra referred to this season’s Finals as ‘the toughest series that we’ve ever been in,’ which stoked Dallas’ disdain for the Heat. ‘Well, he might have preferred to say ‘the toughest series that we won,’ Nowitzki said. ‘Yeah, for sure, the way they fought that out in Game 7 was an unbelievable series, but we did get ’em.'”