President Barack Obama welcomed the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks to the White House on Monday.

“This was a remarkable run, a great victory,” Obama said, before tossing in a jab for his hometown team. “It’s too bad that next year, it’ll be the Chicago Bulls here.”

Obama then got serious and applauded Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the Mavericks.

“They know how good teams win,” Obama said. “Not just by jumping higher or running faster, but by finding the open man, working together, staying mentally tough, being supportive of each other, playing smarter.

“(They) took down some of the league’s best teams … including the Miami Heat, who got a little bit of attention last year.”