Last night Dirk Nowitzki joined an elite group of basketball legends by becoming just the sixth player (first international member) in NBA history to score 30,000 career points after dropping a 25-spot (all in the first half) at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. In what's been a forgetful season for the Dallas Mavericks who currently sit nine games under .500 and 1 1/2 games out of the eight seed in the Western Conference standings, the Mavericks' all-time leading scorer and future Hall of Famer still gives Dallas fans something to cheer for while averaging nearly 14 points and 7 rebounds per game. It's something both the fans and Dirk have grown accustomed to as their relationship has now spanned 19 seasons and will likely reach 20 as the German native has expressed his plans to return next season. If his 20th season is spent in Dallas next year which it almost certainly will considering the family-like relationship between Nowitzki and Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Dirk will tie a record with Kobe Bryant for the most seasons with a single franchise throughout an entire career.
Entering Tuesday's game needing 20 points to reach the milestone, Dirk was well on his way to that mark after scoring 18-points in the opening quarter alone and getting his team off to a fast start. And the basket that would catapult Dirk into the 30,000 point club would be none other than a fadeaway jumper, only not of the one-footed variety he's become known for. After draining a three-pointer to eclipse the 30K mark, Dirk was mobbed by Cuban and his teammates while receiving a standing ovation from the Dallas crowd. It would be an emotional moment for all involved including Dirk's coach and mentor Holger Geschwindner who was in the building for the historic night. The 7-footer would finish the game with 25-points, all scored in the first half, in a 122-111 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. Out of the six players to reach the feat, Dirk becomes only the third to put up 30K with one team, Kobe and Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) the others. After a Draft day trade in 1998 that led Dirk to Dallas by way of a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, it's been quite a ride for the 13-time NBA All-Star and former Finals (2011) and league MVP (2007).
Despite not playing for one of the NBA's glamour franchises or even in a city not known for its basketball which comes secondary to the game of football in the state of Texas, Dirk helped bring the city of Dallas its only championship in the four major sports since the turn of the century. Dirk also stormed his way to greatness the way you're supposed to while also serving as a phenomenal ambassador to the game overseas. Not to mention he's as clean on and off the court as they come having done it for nearly 20 years without a single fuss as the soon to be 39-year old Nowitzki has never been linked to a single incident with the law, a rarity nowadays which makes him the perfect model athlete in this day and age and one we'll soon be celebrating in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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It pays to be silent - After a rather surprisingly quiet Postseason from one of the most outspoken personalities in the game of basketball, Mavs owner Mark Cuban can finally break his silence as his team brought home the highly coveted Larry O'Brien trophy for the first time in franchise history on Sunday. While Cuban has spent 11 years at the thrown of the Mavericks waiting for this much anticipated achievement, the Dallas faithful that have been around since day one have waited a patient 31 years since the franchise was founded in 1980. Ironically, they did it against the same team that overcame an 0-2 deficit in the '06 NBA Finals to end their chances of hanging a banner in the rafters just four years ago when Dallas made their first ever Finals appearance.With a title to finally add to their trophy case, it was only appropriate that the greatest player in team history received the hardware as Dirk Nowitzki was named Finals MVP, scoring 21 points in route to a 105-95 victory in the clincher. The former league MVP in 2007 stuck it to those who questioned and poked fun at his illness of a 101 degree fever in Game 4 and a torn tendon in his left middle finger in Game 2 by averaging 26 points in the series to overcome both hardships. In spite of becoming only the fourth player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP that was born outside of the U.S., Dirk's production would come much later as he was cold to start the game. With a poor 1-for-12 shooting performance in the first half, the 10-time All-Star picked it up down the stretch in the 4th quarter like he's done all series long, putting up a 10 spot when it mattered most.
A staggering stat to prove just how dominant Dirk was throughout the series in the final quarter; while Miami's dynamic duo of Dwayne Wade and LeBron James combined for a total of 62 4th Quarter points, Dirk logged 62 4th Quarter points on his own. Though Nowitzki's late-game efforts were among some of the most significant shots of the night, it would be an absolute mockery if I failed to mention Jason Terry.
Prior to the season, Terry, the recipient of the Sixth Man Award in '09 made the gutsy decision to get the Larry O'Brien Trophy tattooed on his right bicep as a reminder to what exactly he was playing for. When asked by the media about the tat before the Finals begun, Terry said he'd have it removed if they were to lose. Luckily for him, both his skin and wallet will be saved as that's no longer the case thanks in large part to Terry's game-high 27 points.Having played not only the entire series, but the entire postseason without their second best player in Caron Butler, players like Terry, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, DeShawn Stevenson and J.J. Barea all stepped up big to help ease the workload of Nowitzki when needed. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle who was somewhat of a rookie coaching in this Finals atmosphere, made decisions that would make one think otherwise. While there are many to choose from, none were bigger than his choice to start backup point-guard J.J. Barea over Jason Kidd in games 3 through 6 which proved to be a key adjustment. Carlisle also did a fine job orchestrating a defensive scheme to crowd Miami's LeBron James and force the ball out of his hands which practically made him a non-factor in the latter part of the series.
Throughout these playoffs, the Miami Heat were virtually unstoppable at home, posting an undefeated mark of 8-0. Unfortunately for them, their dominant streak at home would be put to the test against a Dallas team that's been nothing short of stellar when playing on the road away from Dallas' American Airlines Arena. Dallas would eventually win two of their four games while on the road in Miami as they finished the postseason 8-3 on the road.Next on the agenda for the World Champion Mavs: the parade. And with a billionaire owner, who better to pay the tab than Mr. Cuban himself. After their Game 6 celebration, Cuban said he's doing just that. One thing he isn't paying for however, are rings. In a post-game interview with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in his lap, Cuban told reporters that rings are too passe and that he's got something else in mind. Considering it's Dallas' first ever NBA title, I find it odd that Cuban plans to reward his players with something other than a ring. But with as much money as he has, the possibilities are endless.
While I'm curious as to find out just what Cuban has up his sleeve, I can only imagine what two the team's more seasoned veterans in Dirk (14 years in the league) and Kidd (17 years in the league) think of the whole idea given they've been on a hunt for a ring their entire careers. Regardless, they'll now have an NBA title under their resume when they're enshrined into the Hall of Fame.After a long night of celebrating his team finally bringing a Championship to Dallas, Cuban tweeted: "This will sound weird. Im laying in bed with the trophy next to me. #dreamscometrue." It appears that sleeping wasn't all the two did together...
With both the Western and Eastern Conference Finals coming to a conclusion this past week, the table is now set for the NBA Finals which will feature the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. While most critics are calling it a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals which saw the Shaq led Heat overcome a 0-2 deficit to bring Miami their first and only Larry O'Brien Trophy, I wouldn't call it a sequel given the new faces. Since their '06 showdown, both teams have underwent makeovers as only two players from each team have stuck around -- Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem in Miami and Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry in Dallas.
While the cast of superstars featured in the series will be a good one, the storyline of how both teams got here is just as good. Out west, the Mavs' well-seasoned veterans played a key role in defeating a Portland Trailblazers squad that caught fire after acquiring Gerald Wallace from Charlotte before the trade deadline. Next Dallas made a trip to the Staples Center where they disposed of the back-to-back defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers in a 4-game sweep. Finally they toed off against a young but very talented Oklahoma City Thunder squad that was unable to find an answer for Dirk Nowitzki who logged one of the best games in Postseason history by torching OKC for 48 points including a perfect 24-for-24 performance from the free-throw line in Game 1. Dallas would eventually close out the series in 5 games.
Following the diva-like antics the Miami Heat made prior the season starting when they formed their All-Star caliber line-up, anything less than a NBA Finals appearance would be a disappointment. However, LeBron and company have only accomplished half of what they set out to achieve. Facing up against an inexperienced Philadelphia 76ers squad, Miami took the series in 5 games, making their way to the Conference Semifinals. Round 2 against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics which was projected by many to be their most challenging task would prove to be otherwise as Miami manhandled the elderly Celtics who seemed to be expiring faster than a carton of milk. With two steps of the way there, the Heat would then take their talents to Chi town to face off against a Bulls team that boasted the best record in the NBA and swept them in all three regular season meetings.
But after being bullied by the same team in the regular season, the Bulls would experience a twist of fate as Chicago instead found themselves being the ones bullied. After taking Game 1 at home in the windy city, the Bulls were dissected, enduring back-to-back heart wrenching losses where they failed to hang on to a fourth quarter lead including a 12 point debacle in the deciding Game 5. With Carlos Boozer who was acquired by Chicago in the offseason to be the go-to-man of Derrick Rose, the former Utah Jazz All-Star instead played like an an absolute shadow of last year's Boozer as he played no factor in the series what so ever. Boozer along with the rest of the Bulls' lack of production forced the league's MVP to try and do it all by himself, only to come up short as Miami rallied to outscore Chicago 18-to-3 in the final 3 minutes to take the series 4 games to 1.
While the Heat are coming off of 4 consecutive wins over a team that had not lost three straight games all year, the Mavs are winners of 10 of their last 11 games and are coming off of two straight impressive come from behind wins of their own. Having been virtually unstoppable this postseason and nearly unguardable, will we see LeBron try his luck on another former MVP in Nowitzki? Though James was successful when guarding the much smaller D.Rose, trying to contain the 7-foot Dirk will be a much more daunting task given his size advantage over LeBron. Regardless of who's guarding who, the series should be a good one which could easily go either way and the distance.
Prediction: Though I wouldn't rule out any chances of the series going all seven games, I'm predicting the Mavs in six. With two future Hall of Famers in Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki yet to win a ring, what a story book ending it would be to the careers of both players if they were to bring Dallas and Mavs owner Mark Cuban their first ever Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Both teams look to take the hardwood in Miami at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday on ABC.
