Fans still remember the iconic showdown between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. Udonis Haslem was surrounded by the Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were led by the lone star, Dirk Nowitzki. Entering the series, the Heat were the favorites to win, but Nowitzki spoiled the Heat trio’s first Finals run.
There was a lot of talk that the Heat would take over the Finals. They were younger, more athletic and had James. The Mavericks had an aging roster featuring Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler. But experience proved to be the winning formula for Dallas.
On Saturday’s episode of “NBA on Prime Video,” host Taylor Rooks opened an old wound for Haslem when she asked about the defensive lapse that the Heat had in Game 2. Rooks asked the German legend which player was late to help when he drove to the basket and made a lafty layup.
“Game two of the 2011 finals. Game is tied in the final seconds. You drove to the basket for the game-winning finger roll. Who was late to help on defense?” Rooks asked.
According to the 2011 Finals MVP, it was Udonis Haslem, since he was the one under the basket. Following his answer, the Heat legend opened up about what went wrong during that defensive possession.
“Now, let me tell the story since you want to bring it up,” Haslem said. “Me and Erik Spoelstra almost got in a fist fight. That was supposed to be my defensive assignment. And right before we came out of the huddle, Spo said, ‘Chris Bosh, you take Dirk.’ I was pissed off from that point on. Yeah, I was late cuz I should have been on Dirk the whole time.”
Haslem and the Heat made the most of the following year, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals.
Udonis Haslem addressed the recent increase in player injuries
The number of players injured in the 2025-26 NBA season is concerning. Some have blamed the league’s scheduling as the source of player injuries. However, Udonis Haslem disagreed with that take. According to him, how players prepare ahead of the gueling season is likely the cause of the injuries.
“I understand the scheduling situation and that’s something you can’t control,” said Haslem. “But as players, and I’ve said this before, we always focus on the things that we can’t control. What can we control? How we prepare for the season.”
Teams and players must have more time to prepare, Haslem continued. This is to make sure their bodies are in peak condition, since the fast-paced system of today’s game potentially contributes to the injuries.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
