Dallas Mavericks NBA Championship Parade Underway As Dirk Nowitzki And Company Stroll Through Dallas

VIDEO: Dirk Nowitzki Butchers 'We Are The Champions' At Mavericks' Parade

Mavericks Parade Live Look-In Features Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, Jamie Foxx

The Dallas Mavericks' parade is in full swing, and a live look-in reveals all the key characters. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry rolled through on the same float, with Nowitzki raising his arms to the crowd and Terry flexing his muscles for the camera. Mark Cuban came through on his own car, looking more understated than you would expect. Finally, celebrities have shown up, including Jamie Foxx of all people.

Here's a look at Nowitzki's float:

(via @yallheard)

Kidd has waited 17 years for this moment. When asked about the title, he said it was a "dream come true," which is fitting. 

Cuban, meanwhile, came through on a smaller car, and didn't have all that much to say. He carried the trophy in his car, and mostly kept it there like this, as he demonstrated in a picture he took himself.

He later raised it up as his float went by more fans. He was excited, of course, as he should be. But nobody was more excited than Nowitzki himself.

For live video of the parade, click here.

Mavericks Parade: Live Look At Fans Filing In Before Parade Begins

The Dallas Mavericks' parade is set to get underway at 11 a.m. Eastern, with the team set to march from the Convention Center to the American Airlines Center. Around a quarter of a million fans are expected to attend the parade, and they have already begun lining up to make sure they have good spots along the path.

Here are a few shots of fans gathering together to watch the proceedings.

(via @jondouglas1)

(via @TheRealDJGrind)

(via @wfaaweather)

For those not in attendance, there are many ways to watch it live online. Some of those ways were described here, with several different Dallas outlets having live feeds. In addition, NBATV will televise the parade beginning at 11, and there is a live stream on NBA.com. 

Meanwhile, the Mavericks' float is beginning its final preparations before taking its route. Here's a sneak preview of what it looks like, via @tombenning.

For more on the Mavericks' NBA title run, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.

Mavericks Parade: Live TV, Online Streaming Coverage Of Mark Cuban's Greatest Spectacle

The Dallas Mavericks NBA championship parade is scheduled to begin at 10 am CT Thursday in downtown Dallas, with something like a quarter of a million Mavs fans expected to attend. If you're unable to make it out for the team's trek from the Dallas Convention Center to the American Airlines Center, you can still watch live video of the whole thing on TV or streaming online.

CBS 11 will air the parade on television and at CBSDFW.com from 9 am on, while the Dallas Morning News plans to start streaming video at 8:30. There will also be a special event inside the arena for season ticket holders only, which FOX 4 will be covering. You should probably check in with fellow Dallas fans at SB Nation's Mavs Moneyball if you plan to watch from home or the office.

For those of you pondering whether to make it out, here's a look at the complete Mavs parade route from start to finish. Mavs Moneyballers are debating where to meet up, which could be a little bit of a challenge if the sea of blue represents as expected.

For more on the Mavericks’ NBA title run, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.

Dallas Prepares For Mavericks' Parade, Ready To Avoid Cowboys' Sour Celebration

On Thursday morning, Dallas authorities believe they will be better prepared for the Mavericks' championship parade than they were back in 1993 for the Cowboys' Super Bowl celebration that erupted into violence. Dallas Police Chief David Brown is putting all of the responsibility on himself, but new lines of communication will help keep order. This includes a Fusion Center that brings a wide array of intelligence together to combat problems.

Most of the new protocols are adapted from post-Sept. 11 security changes, so fans will see SWAT teams, uniformed police officers, haz-mat teams and bomb-sniffing dogs. If anyone in the crowd spots a plain-clothed police office, well, that's an issue. Medical tents will be set up along the route.

While the story linked above mentions a crowd of 200,000 for the Cowboys' parade in 1993, an article at the time reports the crowd was closer to 400,000 individuals. And, well, mob violence erupted to a degree. Emmitt Smith had a fan jump into the car he was riding in, fights broke out, a man was stabbed in the neck and there were gunshots heard in some places. Only 350 police officers started the day and extra 100 joined later on, which still wasn't enough.

Two hundred fifty thousand fans are expected to join Thursday's parade, but if 1993's celebration is any indication there will be plenty more than that.

For more on the Mavericks’ NBA title run, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.

Mavericks Making, And Saving, The City Of Dallas A Lot Of Money

The Dallas Mavericks only returned home Monday morning after vanquishing the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. However the city of Dallas was already reaping the financial windfall of their efforts in the form of championship merchandise.

“It was a long night last night,” said Ryan Green, communications marketing manager for Dick’s Sporting Goods in Dallas. “Those shirts didn’t hit the floor until the last final second was over. The lines were long, and people were excited.”

Dick’s has 11 Metroplex stores, including two in Tarrant County. Green said he couldn’t release the number of shirts and hats flying off the shelves but said sales were strong. Dick’s reopened at 7 a.m.

Many other stores were running low on product by day’s end as well.

On the flip side, normally a city would now be preparing to cough up some dough for the championship parade. Dallas did just that in 1999 when the Stars won the Stanley Cup. Costs ran around the $297,000 mark.

However, with Mark Cuban picking up the tab for the parade, the city has breathe a sigh of relief. Already stretched thin by a budget shortfall, Dallas couldn’t have been trilled by the prospect.

Now they can just worry about selling commemorative t-shirts.

For more on the Mavericks’ NBA title run, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.

Dallas Mavericks Victory Parade Scheduled For Thursday, June 16

Did anyone think that a team owned by Mark Cuban wasn't going to have a giant victory parade? The Dallas Mavericks have won the NBA Title for the first time in their history, giving the city of Dallas their first professional sports title since the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999. So, of course they're going to have a giant parade. If you're in the Dallas area or you feel like traveling, you can catch the parade on Thursday, June 16 in downtown Dallas.

Unsurprisingly, Mark Cuban will be footing the bill for all of the parade expenses. The details of the exact time and the route of the parade have not yet been announced, but those details are expected to be released on Tuesday. And in case you're wondering, yes, Mark Cuban did lie in his bed with the NBA championship trophy.

For more on the Mavericks' NBA title run, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.    

Mark Cuban To Pay For Dallas Mavericks' 2011 Championship Parade

The Dallas Mavericks' parade for winning the 2011 NBA Championship has not been scheduled yet, but it will happen thanks to owner Mark Cuban. Cuban has pledged to pay for the costs of the parade out of his own pocket, in light of Dallas' budget shortfall.

This was something Cuban noted before the Mavericks won Game 6 on Sunday night, and it was something he reiterated after the Mavericks' 105-95 win over the Miami Heat. Dallas Mayor Dwaine Caraway has said that the city probably lacks sufficient funds to put on a parade itself, but will do so anyway with some help. That help will come in the form of Cuban's bank account, it seems.

The parade will take place sometime during the week of June 20, with the exact date to be announced. In an email to reporters, the city made clear that the event will be "funded by the team."

For more on the Mavericks' epic run, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.