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I was away with friends as the 2006 NBA Playoffs reached their apex, when Dirk
Nowitzki was knocking down jumpshot after jumpshot to push the Mavericks past
the Spurs and Suns and into the Finals against the Heat, all in very
entertaining fashion.
In that spring’s 23-game (most he ever played in one postseason) Playoff
run, Dirk averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds per game and hit countless
momentum-changing shots. At more than one point during the proceedings (but
certainly his epic 50-point performance in Game 5 against the Suns), the
question was posed: Who would you rather have shooting a jumper from the
free-throw line extended—Karl Malone or Dirk?
In Karl Malone, we were talking about the second highest scorer in NBA
history, a player who—copious free throws and corny hand-behind-the-head
dunks notwithstanding—built his Hall of Fame career largely on the strength
of his 17-footers. And cats were comparing some “soft” German’s offensive
skill set to The Mailman’s?
Forget Malone’s name for a second (even if their similarity scores have
grown awfully close)—the fact was that in 2006, it was still awfully
premature to be putting Dirk into any type of “all-time greats”
conversation.
The Dirk doubters who had been looking dumb throughout the ’06
season/Playoffs got a little comfort when the Mavs blew a 2-0 Finals lead to
the Heat (with a huge assist from the whistle-happy refs) and even more when
Dirk followed up his ’07 MVP campaign (even if he had definitely been better
in’06) with a brutal disappearing act in the first round against the
8-seeded Warriors, who out-worked Dirk and the Mavs over every inch of the
floor during a historic (and fatal to SLAM 109) upset.
But just when people thought they had Dirk pegged—great scorer, shies away
from tough moments and tough opponents—Dirk went back in the lab. He
grinded. He honed. His key numbers didn’t get appreciably better (excepting
’10-11, when he shot a career-best 52 percent from the floor), but even as
he aged, his stats sure didn’t get worse.
Whatever post-season failures Dirk and the Mavs had, he still put up big
numbers. The type of numbers that have him looking like a very good bet to
reach top 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list himself before he retires.
And then, in June of 2011, with perhaps some karmic payback in the form of a
Heat team that did not seem ready for the moment, Dirk Nowitzki got his
title. At the end of one last sick individual season (his 11th straight, by
my count), Dirk not only had tons of points, All-Star appearances and
respect, he had a title.
After that legacy-affirming moment, I’d say we’ve entered a new phase of
Dirk’s career: the come down. It began last season, when he started the
lockout-shortened season at less than peak condition, missed a handful of
games, averaged his lowest ppg since his second season, shot his lowest
percentage since his rookie season, and seemed generally unimpressed with the
roster Mark Cuban trotted out to try and defend their Championship.
This year figures to be a continuation of the same. Dirk’s knee is hurt, the
Mavs roster is still in flux (though I think OJ Mayo will do great there),
and at 34 years old, his post-playing career is possibly just two years away.
But you know what? He’s been to the top, he’s now a definite first-ballot
Hall of Famer, and if he comes back strong from his knee surgery, he will
still be the 14th-best player in the League this season.
TOP 50名中
作者把Dirk排在第14名
他認為Dirk身涯開始進入下一個階段-慢慢退化的階段
主要原因是上季FG%是他生涯次低
另外受到膝蓋影響
他排名下降了
上季Dirk排第7
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