<Tr> <Th> Western Finals </Th> <Td> Mavericks defeated Thunder, 4--1 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <2010 NBA Finals 2012> </Td> </Tr> <P> The 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010--11 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in which the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 2 to win their first NBA championship . The series was held from May 31 to June 12, 2011 . German player Dirk Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP, becoming the second European to win the award after Tony Parker (2007) and the first German player to do so . The series was a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, which the Heat had won in six games . </P> <P> Going into the series, the Heat were heavy favorites with their newly acquired superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh along with returning superstar Dwyane Wade . </P>

Who did the mavericks play in the finals