The Dallas Mavericks were the number one seed in 2007 that would lose to the Golden State Warriors in six games. The Warriors or the ‘We Believe’ team became the first team to eliminate the league MVP in the first round.
Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was named the regular-season MVP in 2007. Kevin Garnett still wants to know how Dirk won the MVP award in 07, even though he didn’t make out the first round.
Last month in Chicago, All-Star Weekend was a guest on the All-The Smoke Podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson and shared that up until Nowitzki, the criteria was you had to make out the first round, according to Garnett.
“How did Dirk [Nowitzki] win MVP that year? Y’all don’t know this, but the MVP up until Dirk you had to get out the first round to be considered the MVP or they would give it to somebody else. This when the Mark Cuban effect comes into play. When your owner goes to bat for you and campaigns on his behalf to his board of partners, and that had to go into play at some point,” said Garnett. “Because when y’all [2007 Warriors] did that, ripped a hole in the plan what was supposed to happen. That wasn’t supposed to happen now; you have the whole thing on the back of these misfits going here doing something they weren’t supposed to do.”
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Paul Pierce Reveals he Wanted to Join the Mavericks After the 2007 Season
Garnett’s future teammate Paul Pierce after the Mavericks lost to the Warriors in 2007, expressed interest in joining the Mavericks. Pierce was under contract with the Celtics and talked to Boston ownership about a possible trade to Dallas. Pierce was a guest on Thursday’s episode All The Smoke and revealed this Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
“People don’t know I was almost out of Boston. I was having meetings with ownership and telling them this ain’t working. This is the year before we got KG [Kevin Garnett]; this is the year Kevin Durant was in college, and we lost 18 in a row. I’m like we weak; I’m in my prime, and straight-up, we weak. I’m like I’m in my prime, and we are losing; we are not getting to the playoffs,” said Pierce.
“I’m like y’all should trade me and draft Kevin Durant and tank the year and build on out. I was really trying to get to Dallas; some people don’t even know I was really trying to get to Dallas with Dirk [Nowitzki] because they go upset, and I felt that I could help them get over the top. It was a good reason for me to say aw, I can help that team. They were going to win 50 games they just need me over there. I had a talk with [Mark] Cuban I was trying to get to Dallas.”
They would later trade for Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and then went on to win the 2008 NBA Finals after being horrible the year before.
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Celtics’ Legend Paul Pierce Details How He Was Almost a Maverick