When most people think of Dirk Nowitzki’s overall demeanor, the words “kind”, “loyal”, or “dedicated” may come to mind. Put it this way—he’s the last person you’d expect to have beef with any players.

Perhaps this is the reason that we’re only finding out nine years later that Nowitzki did in fact have some beef—with his 2011 NBA championship opponents, the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Considering the fact that Nowitzki led the Dallas Mavericks to an upset victory over them that NBA Finals, this new information has a lot more meaning.

Someone like Nowitzki wouldn’t have allowed his thoughts to get to the surface of the media back then—but after all this time, his former Mavericks teammate JJ Barea has revealed some interesting facts from behind the scenes.

On a podcast with JJ Redick, Barea divulged: “[Nowitzki] was not going to let us lose. The way he prepared the whole year for it. He hated Miami. He hated LeBron, Wade, Bosh. He’s never going to say that, but he couldn’t stand it.”

But apparently there was some extra motivation that got Nowitzki riled up during that series.

“When LeBron and Wade started making fun of him by coughing when he got a little sick … that clip really hurt him,” Barea revealed. “He will never say it, but he really saw the tape and that tape really hurt him. That gave him a little bit extra that he didn’t need, but it gave him a little extra to finish them off.”

The post Dirk Nowitzki Reportedly “Hated Miami” During 2011 NBA Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Dallas Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea is heading back to Texas once again in the 2020-21 season after he decided to ink a new one-year deal with the team.

Barea, an NBA veteran who has spent 11 of his 14 seasons in the league with Dallas, will sign a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum deal to contribute off of the bench for the Mavs.

The Puerto Rico native, who won an NBA title with the team in 2011 and has served as a spark plug off of the bench for many years in the league, missed part of last season after rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January 2019.

He appeared in just 29 games for the Mavs, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists per game in an average of 15.5 minutes of action.

Barea, who has long expressed a desire to become a coach after his playing career ends, is expected to play a role as a mentor in the upcoming season while serving as one of the team’s last options off of the bench.

His expertise should help young players like Jalen Brunson and newly-acquired draft pick Tyrell Terry continue to grow as they look to become the team’s stars of the future.

Barea’s new deal is expected to be formally announced in the coming week.

The post J. J. Barea Re-Signs with Mavericks on 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

When most people think of Dirk Nowitzki’s overall demeanor, the words “kind”, “loyal”, or “dedicated” may come to mind. Put it this way—he’s the last person you’d expect to have beef with any players.

Perhaps this is the reason that we’re only finding out nine years later that Nowitzki did in fact have some beef—with his 2011 NBA championship opponents, the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Considering the fact that Nowitzki led the Dallas Mavericks to an upset victory over them that NBA Finals, this new information has a lot more meaning.

Someone like Nowitzki wouldn’t have allowed his thoughts to get to the surface of the media back then—but after all this time, his former Mavericks teammate JJ Barea has revealed some interesting facts from behind the scenes.

On a podcast with JJ Redick, Barea divulged: “[Nowitzki] was not going to let us lose. The way he prepared the whole year for it. He hated Miami. He hated LeBron, Wade, Bosh. He’s never going to say that, but he couldn’t stand it.”

But apparently there was some extra motivation that got Nowitzki riled up during that series.

“When LeBron and Wade started making fun of him by coughing when he got a little sick … that clip really hurt him,” Barea revealed. “He will never say it, but he really saw the tape and that tape really hurt him. That gave him a little bit extra that he didn’t need, but it gave him a little extra to finish them off.”

The post Dirk Nowitzki Reportedly “Hated Miami” During 2011 NBA Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Dallas Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea is heading back to Texas once again in the 2020-21 season after he decided to ink a new one-year deal with the team.

Barea, an NBA veteran who has spent 11 of his 14 seasons in the league with Dallas, will sign a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum deal to contribute off of the bench for the Mavs.

The Puerto Rico native, who won an NBA title with the team in 2011 and has served as a spark plug off of the bench for many years in the league, missed part of last season after rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January 2019.

He appeared in just 29 games for the Mavs, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists per game in an average of 15.5 minutes of action.

Barea, who has long expressed a desire to become a coach after his playing career ends, is expected to play a role as a mentor in the upcoming season while serving as one of the team’s last options off of the bench.

His expertise should help young players like Jalen Brunson and newly-acquired draft pick Tyrell Terry continue to grow as they look to become the team’s stars of the future.

Barea’s new deal is expected to be formally announced in the coming week.

The post J. J. Barea Re-Signs with Mavericks on 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.