2011 NBA Western Conference Finals: All About Legacy

When Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook step on to the hardwood at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas, they will be the center of attention in a very foreign territory.

On the other side of the court, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki will be treading in familiar waters that they’ve been yearning to return to since their last dip in that pool during the peaks of their careers.

The stage the four players will play on is the 2011 NBA Western Conference Finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder face off against the Dallas Mavericks for a chance to compete in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Intrigue will be a theme that dominates each minute of this series; but a more overbearing concept will be laminated into this battle once game one tips off: legacy.

Determining where a player sits in the echelon of NBA greats will always be measured by a player’s accomplishments. How many MVPs a player wins, the number of times he tops the league in scoring, or other awards and statistical categories he dominates each year will forever be placed side-by-side when comparing one another. Yet, one area of a player’s resume ultimately decides their ranking amongst the all time greats: championships.

Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Reggie Miller, Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, and Karl Malone all had sparkling NBA careers and could form one of the most elite teams every assembled. Despite their awesome abilities, the only flaw that will forever haunt them and keep their names out of discussions as the greatest players of all time is not having that chance to clutch the Larry O’Brien Trophy as their own.

For the Thunder and Mavericks, it’s this theme of legacy that will be at the heart of this series.

Oklahoma City is in a unique position to cement their legacy in such a miniscule time frame. A team that lost over 60 games under their previous alias just over three years ago (Their last season as the Seattle Supersonics in 2007-08) and were eliminated in the opening round during their first trip to the playoffs in 2010, they are now just one step away from contending for top honors in the NBA.

Along with the four-year transitional period the team endured, the Thunder’s chance to carve their legacy in the NBA history books at this point in time is astonishing because most of their personnel are still entering the infant stages of their careers.

Of the fifteen players on their current roster, only two of them are older than the age of 30. Five of their players have more than five years experience in the league and only three have made it to this point in the playoffs on previous teams. The core of the team is comprised of guys who should be finishing up college at this point in their lives (Durant and Westbrook are 22, James Harden and Serge Ibaka are 21).

Despite that inexperience, Oklahoma City has a golden opportunity to seize the moment and control their own destiny moving forward. Chances to etch a legacy in history don’t come along very often, regardless of how off-the-charts a person or team’s talent may be (look up Dan Marino for evidence).

One team with a group of individuals who understand this is their counterpart in this series; the Dallas Mavericks.

While the Thunder were brought together to form a youthful core comprised of enough talent to be contenders for years to come, the Mavericks were assembled with one notion: to win and to do it quickly.

The Dallas roster is peppered with veterans with at least nine years of experience in the league (nine of their fifteen players) and most of their squad is 30 years of age or older (also nine of their fifteen players).

Although most of their roster is made up of stars with illustrious NBA careers, many are missing that one label on their resume as NBA Champions that would allow their careers to come full circle

Nowitzki is always in the discussion as one of the best, big man scorer ever with the ability to score from anywhere, but has been more tormented throughout his career for his inability to bring home the title to the city he’s played in his whole twelve-year career. Kidd is arguably the second greatest point guard ever (behind Magic Johnson), but will never be able to defend that honor in any discussion until he wins a title.

Peja Stojakovic is one of the best three-point shooters ever, but came up short on his numerous attempts to become a champion during the Sacramento Kings’ glory days. Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Tyson Chandler all have immaculate NBA careers, but each have yet to complete a season on a team that was crowned as the best that year.

Not only is everyone on their roster gunning to win now to complete their legacy, but their also hoping to erase the notion that this franchise has been notorious choke artists in the past despite their consistency as a playoff entrant.

Since the start of the new century, Dallas has never been below a fourth seed in any post-season. In the past five years, the Mavs have been division title winners twice (2007 and 2010), the top seed in the West twice (2007 and 2010), and won the Western Conference once (2006).

Although they have all that acclimation, they have yet to call themselves NBA champions. In their only appearance in the Finals during the 2006 season, they were ousted by the Miami Heat in six games.

Defeat is perception that will last a lifetime for whichever team losses this series. This Western Conference Finals will feature two franchises on different ends of the spectrum; one with a bright future ahead of them and another nearing the twilight end as of their tenure of dominance.

Either way, one thing is for certain: a legacy will either be paved or nearing culmination once the horn sounds in the final elimination game.

One Half Shapes The Future For Two Franchises

As the buzzer sounded for the end of the first half during the fourth game between Memphis and San Antonio, the Grizzlies players headed into the locker room with a two-point deficit. They understood the ramifications if they were to lose this one; a trip back to Texas with the series tied.

Most teams would buckle under the pressure of trying to pull off a big upset over the top seed, especially when comparing the two franchise’s roster experience in the postseason. The core of San Antonio have been together for nearly a decade and have already accumulated numerous championships in that span, while Memphis has only four players on their roster who have actually played during the playoffs.

With those credentials, the smart bet would be on the Spurs to even up the series and the Grizzlies to falter in the second half.

Unfortunately for Tim Duncan and his pals, Memphis didn’t care about the odds.


In one of the most stunning halves of play in NBA playoff history, Memphis came out swinging by converting countless big shots and swarming San Antonio with shut down defense that created hordes of uncharacteristic turnovers by, arguably, one of the savviest teams in recent memory. Once the middle of the fourth quarter hit and a twenty point deficit stood before them, all Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Richard Jefferson could do was sit on the bench and stare dumbfounded out at the hardwood court before them as their reserves finished up the game.




By the time the horn sounded for the end of the game, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol huddled the rest of their team together for their end game, informal team meeting with their raucous and boisterous home crowd shrieking proudly behind them over their win.

Although both teams will go back to San Antonio no matter what the outcome of game four was, that second half changed the outlook of the series and possibly the future of both franchises.

When the seeding for the playoffs were set, it appeared to be a cakewalk for the Spurs. The Grizzlies were a young team that was missing their best player in Rudy Gay and appeared to have insufficient personnel to take on the deep and experienced number one seed in the Western Conference. Just getting a win would be victory enough for a franchise that entered the 2011 NBA Playoffs without ever winning at home in their postseason history.

Now, Memphis has become the hunter and the Spurs are the defenseless prey hoping to somehow evade their now inevitable demise. The Spurs would be the first top seed to get knocked in the first round by an eighth seed since the Warriors beat the top seeded Mavericks in 2007.


Along with a humiliating first round defeat would be the probability that this is most likely the dynasty’s last round of dominance.

With Duncan’s output declining rapidly at the age of 35 and Ginobili’s body breaking down, another title run after this season appears highly unlikely. Teams like Oklahoma City, Chicago, Miami, and Memphis have core players that are entering the prime of their careers in their mid twenties. It would only be a matter of time before the Spurs would be leap-frogged over by other up-and-coming dynasties.

Along with the aging veterans, there doesn’t appear to be an answer as to who will lead this team back to prominence in the future. Although five of the key players are under the age of 28 (Parker (28), Gary Neal (26), Tiago Splitter (26), George Hill (24), and DeJuan Blair (22), aside from Parker, they are only role players who have nowhere near the pedigree or the potential their elder counterparts had at their age.

To put it blatantly: don’t expect the Spurs to come into the Western Conference as the number one seed anytime soon again.

On the flip side, the second half in game four can be a jumping off point for a possible, future dynasty in Memphis.

If anything, those 24 minutes could be the blueprint for their future. They exemplified a team that would never give up, always work hard, and wouldn’t buy into the hype of playing a higher seed. Those are qualities that are not easy to teach such an adolescent squad and harder to maintain when a team is put in a spot they have never experienced before.

For many franchises with a similar roster to the Grizzlies (they have ten players under the age of 26 and only one player over the age of 30), getting a lead on a veteran team and being one win away from their first playoff series can be the start of something bigger down the road. Even if they somehow lose this series, expect this to be a great learning experience in how to be a contender in future postseasons.

One great example is examining the two number eight seeds from the 2010 Playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls entered the Eastern Conference as the last seed and made the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Their young core never experienced the postseason before and relished every moment of it, even though they were bounced out in five games by Cleveland. They rode last year’s experience to become the overall top seed in the East this season and recently took out Indiana to advance into the second round.

On the other side of the bracket is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were the last team to clinch a Western Conference playoff berth in 2010. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s squad was a young team at the time and got their team to the postseason for the first time since they were the Seattle Supersonics in 2005. They pushed the Lakers to six games before they were eventually defeated. Determined to use that series as a building block for their future, they entered the 2011 NBA playoffs as the fourth seed and are now one win away from being a second round team.

Those examples should prove helpful for Memphis as they go forward building a contender.

No matter what happens at the conclusion of this series, the second half of game four will forever live in infamy for both franchises as the turning point in their futures