The 65th season of the National Basketball Association is over following the Dallas Mavericks’ 4-2 victory over the Miami Heat in the best-ofseven Finals.

The outcome of the 2011 NBA Finals was like the Biblical story that saw David slay Goliath.

Miami was the oddsmakers’ choice. It enjoyed homecourt advantage and had the Big Three in Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Both on its roster.

In contrast, Dallas only had one legit superstar in German Dirk Nowitzki and a bunch of 30-something guys who like Nowitzki were still hanging on in search for a first-ever title ring.

However, in the end, it was the Western titlist Mavericks who emerged triumphant.

Payback time it was as the Finals series-clincher, a 105-95 decision, came on the Heat’s home floor. During the 2006 Finals, Miami overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat Dallas in six games, earning the crown on Dallas’ home court.

Send out your congratulatory messages to Nowitzki, the Finals MVP with series averages of 26.0 points and 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game; Jason Terry (18.0 ppg off the pines), Jason Kidd (7.7 ppg, 6.3 apg), Shawn Marion (13.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Tyson Chandler (9.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and surprise package Jose Juan Barea (8.8 ppg, 3.2 apg – he played a major role in the Mavs victories in Games Four, Five and Six as a starter).

But don’t also forget to give some credit to cerebral Dallas bench boss Rick Carlisle, who made sure that his players from 1 to 15 were on the same page throughout their magical playoff run and transformed a team that was once known in the past as postseason chokers into amazing “comeback” kids (named as such even if most of them are over 30 years old) who had the knack for overcoming big leads late in the fourth quarter of playoff-series games against Portland (4-2), the 2009 and 2010 NBA titlist LA Lakers (4-0), Oklahoma City (4-1) and, of course, Miami (4-2).

Persistence, mental toughness and a tenacious team defense were Dallas’ passport to greatness, one that finally produced the first championship in the franchise’s 31-year existence.

Outside of Nowitzki, and perhaps Terry, most of the players were role players or discards of other clubs who could never ever imagine to be seen on the ESPN highlight reels like say, the Heat’s All-Star trio of Wade, James and Bosh.

Yet, in times of adversity, they rallied around their meal ticket and German shepherd, Nowitzki (who celebrates his 33rd birthday on June 19), and Carlisle, who was able to inspire his troops with his leadership and earn their respect.

In a post-Finals interview, Terry credited the Mavs’ success to his faith in God and in his teammates.

The Mavericks handled prosperity well and stayed humble throughout their playoff success.

For Miami, it was quite the opposite.

After their conquest of Eastern powerhouses Boston (4-1) and Chicago (4-1) in the second and third rounds of the playoffs, the Heat surprisingly did not stay on course and instead let their arrogance rule them in the Finals against the Mavs.

Wade collected averages of 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists an outing against the Mavericks.

But the Heat captain, the Finals MVP five year ago, failed to provide the leadership that was expected of him. Worse, Wade eventually even joined James in his disgusting boorish and boastful acts as the series progressed, exposing a lack of maturity by the duo.

James’ lackluster effort at crunchtime (fourth-quarter disappearances) played a role in the Heat’s humiliating setback. The mysterious fourth-quarter disappearances in the six-game Finals (a measly total of 17 points) Finals by the “Chosen Still Zero” have been a subject of speculation. Was James (17.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6.8 apg) mesmerized by the Mavs’ stingy defense, or deferring to Wade just too much, or simply under a spell?

Wade and James even found a way to mock Nowitzki’s Game Four illness (sinus infection and high fever) during a pre-Game Five video (with Wade faking a cough and James later covering his mouth with his jacket – Wade even defended his childish action by declaring that nobody could claim to being the only one with a cough and hypocritically feigning ignorance by not having mentioned by name – as if also to insult the intelligence of knowledgeable NBA fans – and finally blasting the media for reporting what they did, becoming a case of Wade shooting the messenger.

No decent Filipino, and that includes Fil-American Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, would ever think of mocking a compatriot’s illness or disease. We civilized Filipinos even wish our enemies well when he’s down with a physical ailment.

But Wade and James chose to go down the gutter, doing it at the expense of a German (Nowitzki) at that.

We showed Spoelstra great love throughout the Finals, but it was Wade and James’ arrogance that turned off a lot of NBA fans against the Heat.

Wade and James need to learn some quick lessons in humility. Otherwise, their partnership with Bosh (18.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg) last summer to form the Big Three may not produce a single NBA championship in the five years left on their contracts.

James, the uncrowned, self-proclaimed King, is 0 and 2 in the Finals.

He’ll stay that way until he learns to be humble. So far, James has remained defiant, that is if his post-Finals message on his Twitter is to be believed.