Dirk Nowitzki
- Thread starter JD074
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Tough break for the Mavs! They lost 85-81 to the badly depleted Blazers (Przybilla is out with a busted knee). Nowitzki had a great return game though, and that puts to rest the seriousness of his injury.
27 points (10-13 FG's, 2-2 3pt's, 5-7 FT's)
9 rebounds
1 assist
2 steals
1 block
27 points (10-13 FG's, 2-2 3pt's, 5-7 FT's)
9 rebounds
1 assist
2 steals
1 block
Things have rather been quiet for Dirk & Co. as of late. But, I'm more impressed by how they've been playing solid TEAM basketball. Dirk's scoring seems to have slowed down, that's because of his constant pleas to have his teammates contribute more(scoring especially). It looks like his teammates have answered the call, winning their last two games against powerful teams (Memphis and Denver). Dirk only had 20 and 13 points in those two games. I'm not too concerned about Dirk's scoring anymore (he'll reach 20,000 points very soon and make the All-Star game), it's much better now to see him get solid and consistent support from his teammates. If this latest development continues towards the playoffs, there's a considerable chance of Dirk & Co. returning to the NBA Finals, and maybe, just maybe... WIN IT ALL!
I also find it astonishing how people are now just realizing what a capable team leader Dirk is really (I've ALWAYS known myself). He's not the best with words (never was), and he does not make prep speeches. He'll just tell any teammate straight, and simple what needs to be done. He let's his work and actions speak for itself, and the Dallas team knows he's their HARDEST and most DEDICATED worker. It's not everyday the NBA has a QUIET, HUMBLE and SUPERSTAR ball-player. But, when he gets vocal, you know he means BUSINESS!Edited by: j41181
I also find it astonishing how people are now just realizing what a capable team leader Dirk is really (I've ALWAYS known myself). He's not the best with words (never was), and he does not make prep speeches. He'll just tell any teammate straight, and simple what needs to be done. He let's his work and actions speak for itself, and the Dallas team knows he's their HARDEST and most DEDICATED worker. It's not everyday the NBA has a QUIET, HUMBLE and SUPERSTAR ball-player. But, when he gets vocal, you know he means BUSINESS!Edited by: j41181
I've been voting for 2 straight weeks now. Dirk, Nash, Gasol, Kaman are all gonna make it. I dunno about David Lee.guest301 said:
Best game by Dirk Diggler in the last 5 games. He's been playing hurt as of late (bruised right elbow). He's warrior though (unlike most idiots claim), and he'll gut this one out. A 99-91 win over a steadily improving Sacramento Kings.
25 points (8-18 FG's, 0-2 3pt's, 9-9 FT's)
7 rebounds
1 assist
2 steals
1 block
Dirk leads Dallas to a 98-93 bounce-back win over the rebuilding Pistons. This comes after a horrific blowout loss to the Lakers the other day. The loss speaks for itself, Dirk needs consistent help (offense & defense). He appears to have shaken off his recent jinx, and he'll reach 20,000 points ahead of Tim Duncan (much respect to him). Despite being 2 years younger. Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson just wasted a genuine superstar. Dallas will never be the same when Dirk is gone.
22 points (9-20 FG's, 4-4 FT's)
12 rebounds
4 assists
1 steal
22 points (9-20 FG's, 4-4 FT's)
12 rebounds
4 assists
1 steal
Dirk ends the game with 30 points and 16 rebounds, while breaking 20,000 points. Sad Dallas lost 100-95 to LA. Still congrats to Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk now has 20,014 career points
- First European to break 20,000 points
- First white player with 20,000 points since Tom Chambers (April, 1995)
Edited by: j41181
- First European to break 20,000 points
- First white player with 20,000 points since Tom Chambers (April, 1995)
Edited by: j41181
Congrats to Dirk! If it wasn't for Dirk I doubt I would be all that much of a NBA fan. The Mavs are slipping just a little bit lately, still a good record but maybe a trade to add a little something to the lineup is in order. AK47 is on the market and The Jazz are trying to unload his contract. Mark Cuban has got the money, get it done.
foobar75
Master
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2008
- Messages
- 2,332
j41181 said:
Congrats to Dirk, and this is a tremendous accomplishment, no doubt. He's a first ballot HOF'er.
As for Tom Chambers, I was a big fan of his growing up. They just don't come like that anymore. Here's hoping Joe Alexander, who has similar size and hops, can become a poor man's TC.
And no Tom Chambers discussion is complete without this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7T_Wg5ilo8Edited by: foobar75
DixieDestroyer
Hall of Famer
guest301 said:
Indeed!
I did not know Tom Chambers that well growing up (was a Jordan-fan then). But, after taking a good look at him, his highlights and stats, I've come to revere him even more than before. Here some of Chamber's other great dunks:
Dunk vs. Rockets
Dunk vs. Bulls
Dunk vs. Celtics
Dunk vs. Lakers
Tom Chamber's 20,000th Point
Dirk Nowitzki may be more known as a shooter, but he made some amazing dunks himself. Chambers maybe more athletic, but Dirk is a more skilled version of him. Here some of Dirk's best dunks:
Dunk vs. Nuggets
Dunk vs. Grizzlies
Dunk vs. Lakers
Dunk vs. Settle
Dunk vs. Raptors
Dunk vs. Kings
Dunk vs. T'Wolves
Dirk Nowitzki's 20,000th Point
Dunk vs. Rockets
Dunk vs. Bulls
Dunk vs. Celtics
Dunk vs. Lakers
Tom Chamber's 20,000th Point
Dirk Nowitzki may be more known as a shooter, but he made some amazing dunks himself. Chambers maybe more athletic, but Dirk is a more skilled version of him. Here some of Dirk's best dunks:
Dunk vs. Nuggets
Dunk vs. Grizzlies
Dunk vs. Lakers
Dunk vs. Settle
Dunk vs. Raptors
Dunk vs. Kings
Dunk vs. T'Wolves
Dirk Nowitzki's 20,000th Point
The article sums up Dirk's greatness!
Fri Jan 15, 2010 4:55 pm EST
Dirk Nowitzki keeps rolling along</font>
By Kelly Dwyer
Nine years ago, Dirk Nowitzki(notes) was being championed as a should-be All-Star by Charles Barkley, in Barkley's first season on TNT's Inside the NBA.
Actually, perhaps that's not the best place to start.
Ten years ago, Dirk Nowitzki was putting up 17.5 points and six and a half rebounds, remarkable numbers for his first full season as a starter, and at only 21 years of age. Mark Cuban had just bought the Dallas Mavericks a week before, the team was about to threaten for a playoff berth, and the future looked bright.
Not the best place to begin, either.
12 years ago, this time, Dirk Nowitzki was just started to gain some steam as an unknown possible entrant into the 1998 Draft, based on a dominant performance the summer before against a group of USA Juniors.
Again, wrong. Hard to find some drama in this guy's, um, basketball life.
OK, 11 terrible years ago, Dirk Nowitzki was about to start his rookie season. One that would see him bounced in and out of the Dallas lineup even after Mavericks coach Don Nelson guaranteed he'd win the Rookie of the Year award. He looked unsure and lacking confident at times, and his play (relative to the rest of the league) was subpar. Subpar!
And, really, despite all the nasty growing pains in that truncated lockout season, Dirk's averages of eight points and three rebounds in 20 minutes per game at age 20? While acclimating to a new league, a new language, a new lifestyle, and a new position? Pretty remarkable.
It truly is hard to find a point in Dirk Nowitzki's career that didn't see him absolutely owning things. There have been plenty of disappointments, to be sure. The dismantling of the Big Three Maverick setup with Steve Nash(notes) and Michael Finley(notes), or the failure to grab a ring in promising seasons from 2005-to-2007, but by and large this has been a masterful career.
Dirk passed 20,000 career points this week, becoming the first European player to do so. And while I usually ignore statistical milestones like this (I couldn't, in any reasonable way, tell you if Dirk was 10th on the all-time scoring list, or 150th; who pays attention to these things?), we should take a time out to point toward an innovator like Dirk.
Sure, other 7-footers took it outside. Bob McAdoo launched from the perimeter and won an MVP. Wispy centers for years stuck to the top of the key and fired jumpers. Bill Laimbeer even took it past the three-point line, and Kevin Garnett(notes) worked the crossover, hesitation and pull up like he was a 6-6 guard.
Dirk went all out. If he was open, it was going up. And it usually was going in. He'd put the work in, so why not?
He's toned it down over the last few years, Nowitzki has only topped his 3.3 three-point attempt per game average just once since 2003-04, but Dirk was an all-out perimeter beast that sometimes spent his time slumming near the hoop.
And, as things rolled on, and as he didn't feel like spending as much time gathering that 7-foot frame toward hurling another 25-footer at the rim, Dirk grew more and more comfortable with the post game. Our man went outside-in, dropping 25 a game all the way.
With no turnovers. This guy is a legend in that area.
This isn't Reggie Miller, who used to consistently turn in miniscule turnover numbers mainly because he caught the ball and held it just long enough to fire in a bomb from long range. Dirk did his fair share of that, to be sure, but the man had the ball in his hands.
He gathered the defensive board and worked coast-to-coast, not unlike Barkley. He surveyed the scene from the high and low post, especially when the supposed word got out that a small forward could mitigate Dirk's effectiveness. Of course, even with those quicker wings slapping at the ball, it hardly mattered.
Dirk turned it over on just nine percent of the possessions he used up. Larry Bird? 12.7 percent. LeBron James(notes)? 11.7. Tom Chambers? 12.1. The guy just didn't screw up.
If I act surprised, I'm not. As mentioned above, there was a bit of a worry in the beginning, based mainly on the unorthodox way Dirk came to play in this league.
The hype was at fever pitch as the 1998 draft approached. Word was that Rick Pitino (then with the Celtics, holding on to the 10th pick in the draft) wanted Dirk, badly, and was prepared to even trade up to get him.
Trade up? For this guy? A teenager from Germany?
The "German" aspect wasn't the big deal, experience was. We were in the midst of watching Detlef Schrempf's fantastic all-around game reach the end of what was a knockout career, and his 6-10 frame rather closely approximated Dirk's.
But Schrempf went to college in the US. Kevin Garnett was a high school legend here, and Kobe Bryant(notes) and Jermaine O'Neal(notes) came quite hyped - rightfully so. To jump from stateside streets is one thing, but from a lower level German league to the pros? At that age?
If Pitino liked him, though, this was a huge deal. Pitino had just dominated in Kentucky, and taken the worst team in the NBA (the Boston Celtics) to within sniffing distance of a playoff spot in just one year at the helm.
Then Don Nelson went out of his way to trade for the guy. It was a great night for Nellie, he also picked up Steve Nash (stuck hearing trade rumors about himself for the previous two seasons) for a draft pick that later turned into Shawn Marion(notes); but we were dubious about Nowitzki. I loved Nash, had for years, before I could even learn to bother to put together a phrase like "per-minute."
But if Dirk was Nellie's sort of guy ... hmm. Because Nellie, as bad as things are now, was at a pretty low ebb in 1998.
He had made ridiculous trade after ridiculous trade with the Mavs, after having been scuttled out of New York, after his work in Golden State flamed out. When Mark Cuban bought the team in January of 2000, it was assumed that Nellie would be out the door even before Mark could put his pen down, the first coach ever to be fired by ICQ announcement.
So for Nellie to almost taint Dirk in that way, then to burden him with the "Rookie of the Year" claim, even as Dirk wasn't sure he wanted to come over to the NBA just yet?
Even as Gary Trent destroyed Nowitzki in a one-on-one game at a friendly barbecue at Nellie's house before the lockout hit? Even with the malaise of the lockout season that followed? Even if (for others) Nash looked like damaged goods as he struggled with back and ankle injuries in his first year or two in Dallas?
It didn't look good.
And then Dirk looked good, rather quickly, in the rookie season. Ate Scottie Pippen up, on both ends of the court, in a game in April of that year. Scottie got a DUI later that night, and I have to think the two are related, somehow. Blew up in his second year, became part of the NBA elite in his third. Ring or not, he's just always been a huge part of this league.
One of the better parts. At times, the best part.
Congrats on 20,000, Dirk. Keep on.
****Ball Don't Lie****
Fri Jan 15, 2010 4:55 pm EST
Dirk Nowitzki keeps rolling along</font>
By Kelly Dwyer
Nine years ago, Dirk Nowitzki(notes) was being championed as a should-be All-Star by Charles Barkley, in Barkley's first season on TNT's Inside the NBA.
Actually, perhaps that's not the best place to start.
Ten years ago, Dirk Nowitzki was putting up 17.5 points and six and a half rebounds, remarkable numbers for his first full season as a starter, and at only 21 years of age. Mark Cuban had just bought the Dallas Mavericks a week before, the team was about to threaten for a playoff berth, and the future looked bright.
Not the best place to begin, either.
12 years ago, this time, Dirk Nowitzki was just started to gain some steam as an unknown possible entrant into the 1998 Draft, based on a dominant performance the summer before against a group of USA Juniors.
Again, wrong. Hard to find some drama in this guy's, um, basketball life.
OK, 11 terrible years ago, Dirk Nowitzki was about to start his rookie season. One that would see him bounced in and out of the Dallas lineup even after Mavericks coach Don Nelson guaranteed he'd win the Rookie of the Year award. He looked unsure and lacking confident at times, and his play (relative to the rest of the league) was subpar. Subpar!
And, really, despite all the nasty growing pains in that truncated lockout season, Dirk's averages of eight points and three rebounds in 20 minutes per game at age 20? While acclimating to a new league, a new language, a new lifestyle, and a new position? Pretty remarkable.
It truly is hard to find a point in Dirk Nowitzki's career that didn't see him absolutely owning things. There have been plenty of disappointments, to be sure. The dismantling of the Big Three Maverick setup with Steve Nash(notes) and Michael Finley(notes), or the failure to grab a ring in promising seasons from 2005-to-2007, but by and large this has been a masterful career.
Dirk passed 20,000 career points this week, becoming the first European player to do so. And while I usually ignore statistical milestones like this (I couldn't, in any reasonable way, tell you if Dirk was 10th on the all-time scoring list, or 150th; who pays attention to these things?), we should take a time out to point toward an innovator like Dirk.
Sure, other 7-footers took it outside. Bob McAdoo launched from the perimeter and won an MVP. Wispy centers for years stuck to the top of the key and fired jumpers. Bill Laimbeer even took it past the three-point line, and Kevin Garnett(notes) worked the crossover, hesitation and pull up like he was a 6-6 guard.
Dirk went all out. If he was open, it was going up. And it usually was going in. He'd put the work in, so why not?
He's toned it down over the last few years, Nowitzki has only topped his 3.3 three-point attempt per game average just once since 2003-04, but Dirk was an all-out perimeter beast that sometimes spent his time slumming near the hoop.
And, as things rolled on, and as he didn't feel like spending as much time gathering that 7-foot frame toward hurling another 25-footer at the rim, Dirk grew more and more comfortable with the post game. Our man went outside-in, dropping 25 a game all the way.
With no turnovers. This guy is a legend in that area.
This isn't Reggie Miller, who used to consistently turn in miniscule turnover numbers mainly because he caught the ball and held it just long enough to fire in a bomb from long range. Dirk did his fair share of that, to be sure, but the man had the ball in his hands.
He gathered the defensive board and worked coast-to-coast, not unlike Barkley. He surveyed the scene from the high and low post, especially when the supposed word got out that a small forward could mitigate Dirk's effectiveness. Of course, even with those quicker wings slapping at the ball, it hardly mattered.
Dirk turned it over on just nine percent of the possessions he used up. Larry Bird? 12.7 percent. LeBron James(notes)? 11.7. Tom Chambers? 12.1. The guy just didn't screw up.
If I act surprised, I'm not. As mentioned above, there was a bit of a worry in the beginning, based mainly on the unorthodox way Dirk came to play in this league.
The hype was at fever pitch as the 1998 draft approached. Word was that Rick Pitino (then with the Celtics, holding on to the 10th pick in the draft) wanted Dirk, badly, and was prepared to even trade up to get him.
Trade up? For this guy? A teenager from Germany?
The "German" aspect wasn't the big deal, experience was. We were in the midst of watching Detlef Schrempf's fantastic all-around game reach the end of what was a knockout career, and his 6-10 frame rather closely approximated Dirk's.
But Schrempf went to college in the US. Kevin Garnett was a high school legend here, and Kobe Bryant(notes) and Jermaine O'Neal(notes) came quite hyped - rightfully so. To jump from stateside streets is one thing, but from a lower level German league to the pros? At that age?
If Pitino liked him, though, this was a huge deal. Pitino had just dominated in Kentucky, and taken the worst team in the NBA (the Boston Celtics) to within sniffing distance of a playoff spot in just one year at the helm.
Then Don Nelson went out of his way to trade for the guy. It was a great night for Nellie, he also picked up Steve Nash (stuck hearing trade rumors about himself for the previous two seasons) for a draft pick that later turned into Shawn Marion(notes); but we were dubious about Nowitzki. I loved Nash, had for years, before I could even learn to bother to put together a phrase like "per-minute."
But if Dirk was Nellie's sort of guy ... hmm. Because Nellie, as bad as things are now, was at a pretty low ebb in 1998.
He had made ridiculous trade after ridiculous trade with the Mavs, after having been scuttled out of New York, after his work in Golden State flamed out. When Mark Cuban bought the team in January of 2000, it was assumed that Nellie would be out the door even before Mark could put his pen down, the first coach ever to be fired by ICQ announcement.
So for Nellie to almost taint Dirk in that way, then to burden him with the "Rookie of the Year" claim, even as Dirk wasn't sure he wanted to come over to the NBA just yet?
Even as Gary Trent destroyed Nowitzki in a one-on-one game at a friendly barbecue at Nellie's house before the lockout hit? Even with the malaise of the lockout season that followed? Even if (for others) Nash looked like damaged goods as he struggled with back and ankle injuries in his first year or two in Dallas?
It didn't look good.
And then Dirk looked good, rather quickly, in the rookie season. Ate Scottie Pippen up, on both ends of the court, in a game in April of that year. Scottie got a DUI later that night, and I have to think the two are related, somehow. Blew up in his second year, became part of the NBA elite in his third. Ring or not, he's just always been a huge part of this league.
One of the better parts. At times, the best part.
Congrats on 20,000, Dirk. Keep on.
****Ball Don't Lie****
white lightning
Hall of Famer
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2004
- Messages
- 21,501
Thanks for posting the article. It's ironic that Tom Chambers and Rex Chapman were my favorite players of the past. Not by far it's Dirk Nowitzki. He has had a career that is above and beyond what most experts thought was possible. The now know just how special he is.
The question is can he play long enough to reach 30,000 points? That would be incredible. I'm hoping so as long as he is healthy and happy. Good luck to Dirk and especially in his quest to win an nba championship.Edited by: white lightning
The question is can he play long enough to reach 30,000 points? That would be incredible. I'm hoping so as long as he is healthy and happy. Good luck to Dirk and especially in his quest to win an nba championship.Edited by: white lightning
pistol pete
Guru
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2007
- Messages
- 349
I think you guys are right about the Mavs needing to go
after some more players like Kirilenko. The West is stacked but I think the Mavs can beat anyone.
The Lakers are up and down this year and can be taken down. A guy like AK-47 would be a HUGE addition.
after some more players like Kirilenko. The West is stacked but I think the Mavs can beat anyone.
The Lakers are up and down this year and can be taken down. A guy like AK-47 would be a HUGE addition.
whiteathlete33
Hall of Famer
Dirk was a guy that was supposed to be a very average player when he came into the league. This all came from the DWF's mouths and from the so called "experts." How stupid they all look now.
Another outstanding article for Dirk!
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/fran_blinebury/01/12/nowitzki/?ls=iref:nbahpt1
Dallas wins, and Dirk just dropped a 37-point bomb on the Celtics!
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/fran_blinebury/01/12/nowitzki/?ls=iref:nbahpt1
Dallas wins, and Dirk just dropped a 37-point bomb on the Celtics!
white lightning
Hall of Famer
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- Oct 16, 2004
- Messages
- 21,501
I like how you described his performance. I'm glad to see him bust out with a big game as the Mavs have been sliding a little bit as of late. Dirk realized it and wanted to make a statement on national tv. I still say that he makes it look so easy. Very similar to Larry Legend when he played. Keep it up Dirk.
My biggest wish is for the Mavs to make another run to the finals. I'm hoping they can rest Dirk for a couple of games at the end of the season so he can come out firing on all cylinders for the playoffs. I just love watching him light up teams despite everything that is done to try and stop him.
My biggest wish is for the Mavs to make another run to the finals. I'm hoping they can rest Dirk for a couple of games at the end of the season so he can come out firing on all cylinders for the playoffs. I just love watching him light up teams despite everything that is done to try and stop him.
Fightingtowin
Guru
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- Nov 30, 2008
- Messages
- 462
That is a great article. I'm going to bookmark that one.j41181 said:Another outstanding article for Dirk!
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/fran_blinebury/01/12/nowitzki/?ls=iref:nbahpt1
Dallas wins, and Dirk just dropped a 37-point bomb on the Celtics!
whiteathlete33
Hall of Famer
I saw online that Dirk only has a 25 inch vertical. I think that's impossible. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?
whiteathlete33 said:
I doubt that number very much but how much of a vertical does a seven footer with very long arms like Dirk has need. I have seen him dunk on enough people and block enough shots to know he is a decent leaper whatever his vertical. Dirk is a superstar and so I wonder if Dirk even goes through those type of tests anymore, it's probably been years.
whiteathlete33
Hall of Famer
I know guest301. I don't believe that 25 inches for a second.
celticdb15
Hall of Famer
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2007
- Messages
- 8,469
guest301 said:
Exactly!! That is part of the reason I dont buy into the Lebron Hype as a dunker. The guy is 6'8 with his great vertical and long arms how hard is it for him to jump the rest of two feet to dunk the ball? I like seeing shorter guys dunk because they have to be more athletic to do so ala Nate Robinson.