LOUISVILLE (Steve Goldberg's Wheel World) - Legends are made in Louisville. From Muhammad Ali to Kentucky Derby thoroughbreds. So why not the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks who are the 2016 NWBA Championship Division winners for the 14^th time in the past 20 seasons after defeating the Milwaukee Wheelchair Bucks 55-54.

It was the third championship meeting between the two pipeline teams who benefit from strong local collegiate and junior wheelchair basketball programs.

The Bucks, who won their only national title in 2002, were back in the final game for the first time since 2006 when they also faced the Mavericks, a repeat of the 2005 final.

The game featured 10 current or former Paralympians, 11 if you include Bucks coach Steve Wilson who led the USA men at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, and a probable 12^th as the Mavericks Aaron Gouge is all but confirmed to be with the USA in Rio later this year.

The Bucks' Paralympians include five veteran USA players in the mix for Rio - Jeremy Lade (2004, 2008, 2012), Nate Hinze (2012), Matt Lesperance (2008),Becca Murray (2008, 20012) and Desiree Miller (2012), along with Melvin Juette (1996, 2000). Also on the team is Marieke Miller, Germany’s 2012 gold medal winner who should be in Brazil as well.

The Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks are the most successful team in NWBA history, winning 14 top flight championships in the last 20 years. Photo: Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

The Dallas Paralympians included Jason Nelms (2012), Jermell Pennie (2004) and Willie Hernandez (2000).

Of the previous 13 title games won by Dallas, three were by 20+ points and nine by more than 10. The closest until Saturday was a 3 point win over the British Columbia Cable Cars in 2007.

Dallas had won their first three games handily by an average margin of 23.6 points with a lot of speed and flash.

The final game, however, was a heavyweight title bout between equals with 6 ties and 11 lead changes.

"We thought we could pull away from them in the end but I have to take my hat off to the Bucks," said Dallas big man Bobby Nickleberry. "They came out, they played hard and punched us in the mouth and we barely escaped with a win."

Appropriately, it was Nickleberry's basket with 26.1 seconds remaining that provided the winning margin as the Dallas native was the focal point of the Mavericks attack, scoring 31 points on the day. He was named the tournament MVP, an award he also received in 2006, after averaging 22.25 points per game over four matches.

Wilson felt they handled the Mavericks pace well except for one thing. "The way their speed hurt us is that we didn't get the matchup with Bobby as much as we wanted to. He had post ups on all of us."

"He's had a great season so the plan was just keep giving it to Bobby," said Nelms, himself a four-time tournament MVP, adding that his finisher deserved a national team call-up.

Nate Hinze (13) and Bobby Nickleberry (23) went eye to eye and shot for shot in the NWBA Championship Final. Photo: Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

"I started feeling it," said Nickleberry." You get two or three, then you see four go in and the game is kind of put into your hands.

As a leader and a teammate you have to step up and play your part. Today my part was to hit buckets. - Nickleberry

Still, it could have been Hinze claiming the prize as the 2012 Paralympian demonstrated his value for Rio, scoring the first 12 points for the Bucks and a game high 32 overall.

In the three games he played, Hinze averaged 27.6 points. He scored 26 against the New York Rolling Knicks in a 62-54 semifinal win over the team that had kept the Bucks out of the final the previous two tournaments.

Dallas defeated the first-time tournament participants Rogue Valley (Oregon) Scorpions 76-54 in the other semifinal.

"It played out exactly the way we thought it was going to be," said Hinze.

We knew coming in to it that it was going to be a fast paced game that was probably going to come down to a possession or two. - Hinze

Dallas and Milwaukee traded punches until an eight point run gave the Bucks a 26-19 lead. Dallas closed the first half with a 14-4 run to lead at the half 33-30. Nickleberry and Hinze led their teams with 21 and 20 points respectively.

"He's had a great season so the plan was just keep giving it to Bobby." Four time finals MVP, Dallas point guard Jason Nelms, here looking for his big man down court. Photo: Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

Dallas would push the lead to 7 three times in the second half only to see the Bucks fight back behind the scoring of Hinze and Kyle Gribble who scored all 6 of his points in the half.

Two Hinze free throws with 4:13 to play gave the Bucks their first lead of the second half at 50-49 and his driving layup plus one their last at 53-52 with 41 seconds left. Then Nickleberry did his thing yet again and the Bucks were down again.

After a time out, the Bucks had possession with 11 seconds to play and the clock ticking down. Hinze got the ball from Murray outside the three point line on the top left but Nickleberry came out to pressure. With Murray in place to screen, he moved down to the corner where Gouge came out to challenge. Hinze's three point shot from the left baseline was both slightly short and late as the game ended.

D is for Dallas. D is for dynasty.

In the third place game, New York defeated Rogue Valley 55-50 as the Swiss Army knife of wheelchair ball, Pat Anderson scored 32 and Paul Ward 10. Aaron Patterson and Tyrone Griner led the Scorpions with 20 and 19 points respectively.

Anderson, a three-time Paralympic gold medalist for Canada, was the tournament's leading scorer, averaging 27.75 points per game.

The Knicks were missing their other golden Canadian, David Eng, who teamed with Anderson (above) to win the 2014 Championship Division title. He is recovering from a torn bicep and hoping to be back with Canada for the Paralympic Games in September. Photo: Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

Dallas won the first of their now 14 championships in 1997 over the Golden State Road Warriors. They won four in a row twice, from 1997-2000 and from 2010-2013.

They are well past the previous dynasty, the California-based Casa Colina Condors who took 8 titles from 1982-90. Two teams won 7 top division championships, the Detroit/Westland Sparks from 1967-82 and the California/Long Beach Flying Wheels from 1955-1964 including the still record streak of five in a row from 1960-64.

Steve Goldberg

FIBA

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