They did it. They finally did it.

The Dallas Mavericks finally exorcised the ghost of the Finals letdown of 2006.

The faces changed but the bitter taste of that loss never left the Dallas Mavericks. And now, with this win, it is all forgotten.

Very few expected the Dallas Mavericks to win the championship this year. Heck, a lot of people, including well-know NBA columnists, picked the Portland Trail Blazers to outs the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. That too does not matter anymore.

The Dallas Mavericks are the keepers of the old ways. They are living proof that teams do not need multiple All-Stars to get a championship. A team defeated a collection of talents. A finely-tuned unit defeated a constellation of superstars.

Dirk Nowitzki was the clear leader of the team. In the crucial moments in games, all eyes were on him and he delivered. He struggled in the first half of Game 6, shooting a miserable 1 of 12 from the field but they ended the half with a lead. Why? Because the other Mavs had his back. This was Dirk’s team but it’s not all about him.

Jason Terry carried the fight for the Mavericks for much of the first half but when it was time for their superstar to sine, he gladly stepped to the side and deferred to Nowtizki.

This was the perfect victory for the Dallas Mavericks. They did it when no one expected them to do it. And they did it against a star-studded Miami Heat team who defeated the Eastern Conference powerhouses in the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls on their way to the NBA Finals.

But this championship is made even more special by two more aspects. The first is that they did it against the same team that took the championship away from them back in 2006. The second is that it is the first NBA championship in Dallas and the first for ALL the players of the Dallas Mavericks.

This one is for the history books; a close series where three games were decided by three points or less. But when the dust settled, the championship was won by the team that clearly wanted it more.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Dallas Mavericks, your 2011 NBA Champions.