Mavs beat the Heat to win NBA championship(Video)

One of the many storylines in the NBA Finals won by the Dallas Mavericks Sunday night was Terry's bold tattoo. Terry said he had the Larry O'Brien championship trophy tattooed on his right bicep before the season began because he was confident the Mavs would clinch the title. Losing would've been painful for Terry, literally, as he said he would have the tattoo removed. The 105-95 victory was sweet for many Mavericks, especially Terry, who led the team in scoring with 27 points. "When you did something as crazy

as I did, you have to back it up," Terry said, showing his tattoo to the television cameras. "This team never gave up when faced with adversity. We never gave up. Tonight we got vindication." The Mavs used furious scoring barrages by Terry and weathered an uneven game by star forward Dirk Nowitzki to win the game. "I still really can't believe it. The team worked so long and so hard. The team deserves this. The Mavs nation deserves this," Nowitzki said. "I could not get in a rhythm today but the team carried me to this win." Despite a poor shooting night Nowitzki still had 21 points. The Mavs held a slim 53-51 lead at halftime and was able to grow the lead. They led by 9 at the end of the third quarter. They pulled away in the fourth quarter helped by Miami's sloppy play and turnovers. The loss was devastating for Miami, a team that seemed to be put together for a championship. Before the season the Heat added perennial all-star forward Chris Bosh and superstar forward LeBron James to a team that was headed by talented guard Dwayne Wade. The win earns the first championship for star power forward Nowitzki. It also means his Mavericks avenged their crushing loss against the Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals.

Mavs sweep, Lakers' Jackson exits

Phil Jackson walked off the court with a tight smile, shaking hands and accepting congratulations as he has after so many series-ending playoff games.

Never like this, though.

His team didn't win; it was crushed, swept.

And he wasn't just heading to the offseason - he's calling it a career, ending the most successful run by any coach in NBA history.

Jason Terry and the Dallas Mavericks ended Jackson's tenure, and the Los Angeles Lakers' reign as two-time champions, with a 122-86 victory Sunday. After two tight finishes and another game that was relatively close, the Mavs turned this one into a rout in the second quarter.

With Terry leading the way, Dallas hit a barrage of three-pointers to go ahead by 24 points at halftime. When Terry made treys on consecutive possessions early in the third quarter, Los Angeles knew it wasn't going to come back in this game or the series.

Things got ugly early in the fourth quarter, with vicious, frustration-fueled cheap shots by Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum getting them ejected 45 seconds apart. But at game's end, Dallas coaches, players and team owner Mark Cuban lined up to bid farewell to the coach they call the Zen Master.

"It's been a wonderful run," Jackson said.

The 65-year-old Jackson has retired before, but he insists it's for good this time. While he goes out with the sour taste of his first sweep in 21 postseasons, and his second-widest margin of defeat, it can't override all the sweet days.

A Hall of Famer since 2007, he leaves with a record 11 titles, and only 10 series losses. Take away Red Auerbach, who won nine championships, and Jackson won more titles than any two coaches combined. He won six championships with Michael Jordan, three with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and the last two with Bryant leading the way.

"I grew up under him" Bryant said. "The way I approach things, the way I think about things - not only basketball, life in general - comes from him. It's a little weird for me to think of what next year is going to be like."

Assistant Brian Shaw, a former Lakers player, is considered likely to take over.

"We all know they always come back and get themselves back in the race," Jackson said. "The Lakers are going to survive."

For Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs, clearing this hurdle sets them up for a chance to redeem themselves for flopping during the 2006 NBA Finals and for flaming out in every postseason since.

"The job is not finished," said Terry, who tied a playoff record with nine three-pointers. Dallas matched NBA postseason marks with 11 treys in the first half and 20 for the game.

"We've been doing it by committee all year long," said Nowitzki, who scored 17 points, his fewest this postseason.

Nowitzki was still in the game in the fourth quarter and took the blindside blow that led to Odom's ejection. Then J.J. Barea took a Bynum elbow after releasing a layup. Fans threw things toward the court as Bynum took off his jersey and was escorted to the locker room by Ron Artest.