Photo Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images

LeBron James’ Shocking Statement About 2011 Finals Loss To Mavs: “I Literally Lost Myself”

After acquiring LeBron James and Chris Bosh in the summer of 2010, the Miami Heat instantly made the impression that they were the team to beat in the NBA around that time. In their first year together, it looked like LeBron James will finally capture his first ring, and the Larry O’Brien Trophy will head back to South Beach.

But they shouldn’t have counted their chickens before they were hatched, as the Dallas Mavericks, led by and incredible Dirk Nowitzki, proved everyone wrong and beat the Heat in six games during the 2011 NBA Finals.

The Mavericks put on a show in the playoffs, swept the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, yet they were pretty much disrespected by countless of fans who thought the Heat got everything all locked up.

More so, not only fans, but also Dwyane Wade and LeBron James disrespected the Mavericks and Nowitzki especially. 

When Dirk Nowitzki suffered from flu-like symptoms in Games 4 and 5, but still managed to perform at a high level, a video of the two Heat stars surfaced in which they mocked Nowitzki by coughing and jokingly discussing how they were getting sick. 

In these Finals, LeBron James played the worst basketball of his career. He was nervous, made easy mistakes and didn’t shoot the ball well, especially in fourth quarters. He basically got schooled by Nowitzki, while only averaging 17.8 points per game in the series.

In a recent episode of ‘The Shop’, James looked back at the 2011 Finals and said that an identity crisis was the reason for his collapse.

“My first year in Miami I was down here I was literally like, I wanted to prove everybody wrong,” LeBron said. “And I like literally lost myself in the moment. I lost myself. And I got all the way to the championship that year and lost. Afterwards I was like we lost because I wasn’t even there.”