Dirk Nowitzki’s the MVP and You’re Not.
A redirkulous season comes to its natural conclusion. Well, at least it will soon. Russ Bengtson weighs in.
Well, it’s official. Almost.
ESPN’s Marc Stein, the only NBA blogger who sleeps less than I do (or at least stays up almost as late) is reporting that Dirk Nowitzki will be named the 2007 NBA MVP sometime next week. Apparently the award presentation will occur in Dallas—might I suggest a specific location?
All (or at least some) jokes aside, it’s easy to forget just how good Nowitzki’s regular season was when seen through his shocking meltdown against the Golden State Warriors. (The 67-15 Mavericks were—by far—the team with the best regular-season record to ever lose in the first round.) But it’s important to remember what Dirk did in those 82 games, because those are the ones that mattered to the voters. Ballots were turned in before the start of the first round.
The 28-year-old Nowitzki averaged 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and a career-high 3.4 assists per game. He also shot for career-high percentages in every category, and was the only player in the L to shoot at least 50 percent from the floor (.502), 40 percent from three (.416) and 90 percent from the stripe (.904).
People are still gonna doubt, of course (or “hate,” as the kids like to say these days). They’re gonna say Dirk didn’t play defense, or cite (no matter how many times you point out that the votes were all in before the series even started) his playoff flameout as a sign that he just doesn’t have that extra something when it really matters. They’re going to push for Kobe, who had that string of 50-plus point games and undoubtedly carried the Lakers, or LeBron, who while “coasting” still managed to average 26, 7 and 6 and lead the Cavs to 50 wins, or even Steve Nash, despite the fact that a third straight MVP award would place him in company that most feel is somehow sacrilegious (a feeling that I, for one, don’t share.
But the award is Dirk’s, and I think that’s OK. Because the MVP has always been about two things—individual excellence paired with team success. And, to paraphrase Michael Jordan, “anyone else win 67 games”? At the time the votes were tallied, was it that unrealistic to think that the Mavericks would still be playing deep into June?
For those who continue to believe that Kobe Bryant should have won, it’s worth noting here that of the five MVPs Michael Jordan won in his career, only ONE, his first, came in a year when his team didn’t win at least 60 regular-season games and the division title. That first one came in the 1988 season when he averaged a league-leading 35 points (while shooting 53 percent from the floor), 5.9 assists and 5.2 rebounds per. Oh yeah, he also averaged 3.2 steals and a career-high 1.6 blocks and was named Defensive Player of the Year. I guess what I’m trying to say is THAT’S what it took for Jordan to win an MVP when his team wasn’t at a championship level (they still won 50 games). Maybe Kobe still has a little way to go.
In fact, in the entire HISTORY of the award, team record has ALWAYS played a role. I always go back to the amazing ‘61-62 season when Oscar Robertson averaged a 30.8 point, 11.4 assist, 12.5 rebound triple-double and Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 points and 25 rebounds per (and dropped 100 on the Knicks) and the MVP went to…Bill Russell. Russ only averaged 18.9 points and 23.6 rebounds a game that year, but his Celtics? They won 60 games and the Eastern Conference. (In a somewhat odd twist, Russell was named MVP that season yet was not named to the All-NBA First Team.)
Some things never change. Congratulations, Dirk. Go out and celebrate. (But, um, not too much.)
56 Responses to “Dirk Nowitzki’s the MVP and You’re Not.”
May.11 at 3:41 am
Tim Dennis says:
Wow is there another MVP that didnt get outta the first round? First
May.11 at 3:59 am
luckyluciano says:
almost first.
May.11 at 4:01 am
Max Airington says:
Hater.
May.11 at 4:02 am
Max Airington says:
First!
May.11 at 4:04 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Moses Malone won the MVP twice in seasons where his team didn’t get out of the first round. There was one other guy too—maybe Wes Unseld? Honestly, I think people are killing the Mavs (and Dirk) too much and not giving the Warriors (and Nellie) enough credit. And continuing to ignore the fact that the voting for MVP takes place BEFORE the playoffs.
May.11 at 4:06 am
Max Airington says:
Dont you think that should change though?
May.11 at 4:20 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Not really, no. It’s a regular-season award, like the Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man and all that other stuff. Dirk had an amazing season and earned his team a No. 1 seed. Unfortunately they then ran into the one team that had their number. It doesn’t seem fair to toss away everything Dirk did in the regular season because of one bad playoff series. After all, he was already punished for that—he went home in the first week of May. Let the MVP live.
May.11 at 4:21 am
Russ Bengtson says:
*sips Hatorade, ashes $50 cigar into crystal goblet*
May.11 at 4:40 am
Max Airington says:
But then why does playoff seeding matter at all then? The playoffs are the perfect litmus test for determining value. Malone may have gone home in the first round twice, but it wasnt cause he didnt have a post game. Im not saying it should be taken away just because of that, but it would be nice to be able to take it into consideration.
May.11 at 4:41 am
Max Airington says:
Is Hatorade expensive? I always thought it was like Crunk Juice.
May.11 at 4:59 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I use the money I save by buying Hatorade to buy expensive cigars. I’m confused by your logic regarding playoff seeding and Moses Malone’s post game, though—maybe because it’s almost 5 a.m. But the way I see it, playoff seeding is its own reward. The MVP rewards REGULAR SEASON EXCELLENCE. And if your team goes through, then you get a chance to pick up the Finals MVP as well, as a few guys have managed to do. As for Moses, sure, he had a post game, but he was a crappy three-point shooter. Maybe that’s why HIS teams didn’t get out of the first round? I just don’t understand what you’re trying to get at with that. Dirk isn’t your prototypical seven-footer and everyone knows that. It seems like people want to have it both ways—praise him for his uniqueness and hate on him (yeah, I said it) for not doing all the things that “normal” seven-footers do. I mean, sure, it would be great if he could shoot deadeye threes AND dominate in the post, but then we wouldn’t just be talking about whether he deserved the MVP—we’d be talking about whether he was the best player in NBA history.
May.11 at 5:18 am
west way says:
Russ, as much I as acknowledge your passion for the game and your dedication as a basketball journalist, a lot of what you write comes across as arrogant and unartistic. In relation to this article, Dirk had the best regular season, and although he may get the MVP award, I think it would be more deserving not of a kobe or even nash, but of a Lebron or a Luol Deng. The MVP is almost like an award for whoever has the highest point average and winning percentage. It should be the best all round player. Lebron and Luol played inside, outside, passed, grabbed boards and more importantly, PLAYED D! lastly im not a journalist so i dont have to be unbiased, this is just my personal oppinion, please respect it, im not hatin. 1
May.11 at 5:38 am
Max Airington says:
Its late/early and I was speaking gibberish. The playoff seeding remark was in response to your assertion that Diggles had led his team to a number one seed and I just meant that Moses didnt disappoint in an area where he was expected to produce. I feel what youre saying about wanting it both ways with Dirk, but in this series he failed to produce on either front. He had four to six inches on everyone guarding him. If he is the most valuable player in the lig, then he should have been able to assert himself in some way against such mismatches. I agree that its strictly a regular season award but why do we expect a player to make the playoffs and then not even take them into consideration? Players that don’t make the Finals should still have a chance to state their case for MVP in the postseason.
May.11 at 5:46 am
Eoin says:
OK, here’s the thing that annoys me far more than Dirk’s playoff flameout: if you’re giving him the MVP, you’re giving it to him on the sole basis of his offence, because it’s not like he’s a lockdown defender or anything.BUT Nash had a better offensive season than Dirk.If you assume that all assists come on two point field goals, Nash was responsible for 41.8 points per game.Dirk was responsible for 31.4 ppg.(Which, incidentally, is less than Kobe scored on his own, but his team didn’t win much, so it really is incidental).Now, here’s the real kicker: yeah, Dirk was “was the only player in the L to shoot at least 50 percent from the floor (.502), 40 percent from three (.416) and 90 percent from the stripe (.904).”But Nashty shot 89.9%!!! from the stripe, so he was pretty much in that exclusive club him self - while shooting three percent better from the field and four per cent better from three.Seriously, just mentioning that club as a reason to give Dirk the MVP ticks me off, Nash BLATANTLY shot better than Dirk overall, was responsible for more points, and similarly had to be hidden on defence.So Dirk rebounded better and won a few more games in the regular season.Nash, in my opinion, had a better offensive season, and since neither plays good defence, should have been MVP over Dirk.Maybe not over Kobe, I’m not sure.
May.11 at 6:51 am
Tariq says:
Listen, Kobe is the best player in the league, but he is not the MVP. Sorry, you’d have to average 81 points to win it while your team is the 7th seed. So it’s basically between Dirk and Nash. I think it’s a toss-up, and that Dirk edged out Steve because Dallas had the better record. Maybe the fact that Nash already has 2 MVPs slightly affected the outcome, but it’s not like Garnett in 2003 or Shaq in 2000 when it was obvious who the MVP was since December. And I think if Dallas had beaten GS, there would be far less hate. I mean, hey, reliving Dirk’s meltdown gives me as much schadenfreude as the next guy, but you can’t say that he doesn’t deserve the regular-season MVP. You can, if you wish, argue that MAYBE Nash deserved it a LITTLE bit more, but that’s about it. Now let go back to laughing at Dirk’s Batman/Sin City cover. Ha ha.
May.11 at 7:02 am
Tariq says:
That being said, I did think he averaged more than 24.6 ppg
May.11 at 7:05 am
Tariq says:
Hey, I was just watching an Inside the NBA episode from March 1. Dallas were 49-9, and Ernie asked them how many games the Mavs would win. Without a moment’s hesitation, Barkley replied: “67!”
Eerie…
May.11 at 7:26 am
fabio says:
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR THAT MJ-KOBE COMMENT!
May.11 at 7:41 am
uamini says:
Russ, Kareem also won the MVP in 1976 when the Lakers finished 40-42 and failed to even make the playoffs..so there’s always worse
May.11 at 8:08 am
Tunez says:
I’m trying to avoid the whole Nash Vs. Dirk deal here but does anyone think that MVP going to Dirk would happen this year if Nash had only won 1 MVP or none for tha matter?
May.11 at 8:09 am
uamini says:
Didn’t the Golden State series also show in a twisted way just how valuable Nowitzki is? You got a mighty 67-win team playing an 8th seed and the 8th seed focuses on their star player, annoying him enough to make his shooting percentages drop hard so he ends up with somewhat disappointing 19 points, 11 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1 block per game. Wouldn’t you expect the rest of that team to take advantage of the situation and easily defeat Golden State? For a team that won that many games during the regular season it seems unreal that all it takes is eliminating their best player to get an easy win.
One could argue that Nash had a team with two fellow All-Stars and led the Suns to 61 wins whereas Dirk had an All-Star throw-in and still managed to get 67 wins. If Nowitzki is indeed overrated you have to wonder how they won so many games.
May.11 at 9:13 am
Boyd says:
This is all good. Really good. Nash, quite clearly, is the MVP; the greatest leader in the NBA today, and, if he ever wins a ‘chip, will automatically become one of the 5 greatest point guards ever to play the game. But the thing is, the award goes to Dirk, Cuban and the Mavs get to look red faced for keeping the wrong franchise player (Dirk should not even be classed as one of the top TEN forwards of all time, really, if you were playing pickup, and you could choose Bird, Pippen, Duncan, Barkley etc, would you pick dirk? If you could pick Magic, stock, Nash, you might not, but you MIGHT consider, Nashty) and Nash gets to go through the playoffs without the unnecesary added pressure of’living up to’ being the MVP, let alone 3 time MVP. In a nutshell, Nash gets to be the real MVP, with no pressure, and the Mavs get to look like the bunch of muppets they are, hurrah!
May.11 at 9:58 am
Eoin says:
I don’t think Dirk is overrated at all, he’s a really frickin good player, and honestly, I think there’s only one power forward in the L you could have put in his place and have them win the Warriors series, and that’s Timmy D(I’ll believe that KG’s alive when I see him make the playoffs again).But with that said, I still think Nash had a better season statistically, and though I normally don’t agree with giving out the MVP based on statistics, that’s clearly why people are giving it to Dirk - he had a good offensive season.Nash had a better one, just in a less traditional way.I doubt Nash cares though, since he already has two and is no doubt far happier to still have a shot at winning the Finals MVP.
May.11 at 11:15 am
Keith says:
Nowitzki dirk-serves the MVP
May.11 at 11:15 am
Keith says:
Ah, that doesn’t even work….
May.11 at 11:45 am
Bryant Reeves says:
Dirk’s only contribution was offence. Yeah the shooting %s are nice but the guy didn’t even average a double-double and his assist to turnover ratio was a horrible 1.6:1. If you would have told me that a 4/5 would win the MVP without averaging a double-double or more than 30ppg I would have laughed at you.
May.11 at 11:50 am
Bryant Reeves says:
Just to back up my point about MVPs, the last person to win one without averaging a double-double or 30ppg was Jordan in 97-98 when he averaged over 28 a game.
May.11 at 11:52 am
Bryant Reeves says:
I guess what I’m saying is: 2006-2007 MVP Dirk Nowitzki is the worst MVP of all time.
May.11 at 12:48 pm
H to the izzo says:
If Steve Nash hadn’t already won the MVP he’d be the run-away winner this year-where he deserves it more than he did the previous two but the Dirk hype was unavoidable this year and this was probably done in the interest of fairness.I bet the NBA will find a way of getting Kobe the award next year.I’m not neing bitter am I?
May.11 at 12:53 pm
Phil B says:
post game and 3 pointers? i know he’s “only” 6′11″, but the mvp should be sheed. end of story.
May.11 at 1:14 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Is my writing seriously “arrogant and unartistic”? Because that comment just ruined my entire day.
May.11 at 1:28 pm
Sherri says:
although i am a big KOBE fan, but dirk gettin` the MVP sits well with me because his regular season performance was/is undeniable, & thts whts its abt basically, but IF they were to restrain frm, givin dirk the MVP for him chokin` in the p.o`s, I THINK, Tim Duncan`s name should be mentioned more than tht of Nashty, LB & even KOBE.
May.11 at 1:33 pm
Sherri says:
& RUSS sometimes i dont agree with ur pieces but your writings are far from UNARTISTIC, you may come off a little arrogant sometimes but its all good, ur columns are fun to read, not as much as fun as Sam`s & even mutoni`s but ure up there =]. keep doin` you.
May.11 at 1:39 pm
Michael says:
Russ, arrogant maybe. Unartistic, no. Nash should have won the Mvp this year, it was his first two he didn’t deserve.
May.11 at 1:42 pm
Tariq says:
Russ, hey, they said the same thing about Dostoevsky
May.11 at 2:00 pm
H to the izzo says:
ahhh the mad Russian good stuff good stuff
May.11 at 2:08 pm
CBeezy says:
At least theres a reason to have him on the cover now
May.11 at 3:00 pm
Tariq says:
Let me flip the script…how many of you would be singing a different tune if nash had had a meltdown against the lakers and dallas was two up on utah? methinks an irrelevant point is affecting a lot of opinions. now if u were saying nash was the mvp before the playoffs, then that’s fine, otherwise…
May.11 at 3:31 pm
Max Airington says:
There’s a difference between sarcasm and arrogance. I hope.
May.11 at 5:25 pm
Kene says:
…unartistic?…what do you want, flowery prose and witty alliteration?…get outta here with that mess. Its slamonline, not a shakespeare recital. Keep doing what you do Russ, I liked it…..then again, I AM a Dirk fan, so maybe that really isn’t saying much. Oh well.
May.11 at 5:31 pm
Robert R. says:
Dirk is a good player but not the most valuable. If anything Steve Nash should get it over Dirk
May.11 at 5:56 pm
bryan says:
Not that it matters…but my reasons for not thinking dirk deserves and thinking it belongs to steve are 1) dirks numbers were down from last year when he didn’t win and nash’s numbers were up from a year he won it. 2) the mavs can win 50 games without dirk and the suns can’t and nash always steps up when it counts forget the playoffs when they played dallas nash was an assasin out there even making key defensize plays. Dirk shouldn’t have won he had a great year but nash was much better.
May.11 at 7:31 pm
DYT says:
I’m not a Dirk fan in particular but I think it’s unfair the pick on his defensive failings when Nash himself is not a great defender. At best, they are both equal in that regard in their respective positions. But the MVP race was always between these two. I think for Nash to have won his third MVP in a row, it at least needed the Suns to have the best record in the league, or that Nash had at least made it to the Finals last season. Nash has never made it to the Finals himself. And he may never will. I think many of the voters, rightly or wrongly, weren’t prepared to vote him in, purely based on history and maybe leaving a legacy behind of having a three straight MVP award winner never making it to the Finals or winning a championship. Isn’t that a bigger call than Dirk’s team not winning the first round? At the very least the Mavs made it to the Finals last year.
May.11 at 7:34 pm
J-Bird says:
…Nasty Nash wants to Squerr dance…..
May.11 at 8:22 pm
fck the mavs says:
how did he win?! Lebron, Nash,Kobe,anyone but dirk
May.11 at 9:52 pm
Decs says:
I’m ok with Dirk winning the MVP now, he had a good regular season. The point about Jordan is true, winning is everything, so Kobe might have to wait a bit more.
May.11 at 11:54 pm
j. ellen says:
How about Duncan? I think it’s sad he didn’t at least get more serious consideration than he did. Based on the regular season, I didn’t really like Dirk for MVP. Sure he was a good player, but there was a little something extra I wished he had.
The MVP may be based on the regular season, but for me, bringing up Dirk’s performance in the playoffs is relevant if only because it served to further illustrate what I already thought about him - that he doesn’t consistently display that game-taking-over, we’re-going-to-win-this-game-or-die-trying attitude. As a Suns and Nash fan, I’m actually kinda glad Nash isn’t winning it. I agree with what Boyd said - “Nash gets to go through the playoffs without the unnecesary added pressure of’living up to’ being the MVP, let alone 3 time MVP”
We Suns fans can be proud of our MVP, and we don’t have to worry about all the haters turning their attention his way. It’s nice.
May.12 at 4:45 am
Nothin_personal says:
The Mavs starting 5 without Dirk: JET, Stack, Josh, AUSTIN CROSHERE (or maybe Devean George, Dampier). Stack has to start to give some firepower so Devin is left out. Try to convinse me they are better than the Hornets, Kings, Clippers. (I would argue Seattle too, but then they’ll throw eggs at me!)That’s at least 20 Ws. I don’t know how he measures against other year MVP’s, but without him, there would be no 67-wins Mavs. That simple.
May.13 at 10:44 am
Darksaber says:
Congrats to the Würzburger. Job well done for the first 82 and a great regular season. I now officially refuse to aknowledge the fact that Dallas was ousted in the playoffs of ‘07.
May.13 at 1:54 pm
DarK says:
Without Josh Howard, there would be no 67-wins Mavs either.
May.13 at 9:51 pm
Hersey says:
Good post. Dirk earned the award and his team had a great season. We Nash fans would have loved it if he won a third but his value is clear whether he won or not.
May.14 at 4:53 am
west way says:
Russ, most these people like what you have to say, that was just my personal oppinion. The reason I said your writing came off as arrogant is because youre writing as though your oppinion is the be all and end all of bball like when you wrote about the magic series not being a series at all and and added like 10 references asthough that made your point 100% true (which we know it was now i guess but a lot of people didnt write the magic off so quickly, i mean damn, they dwight and grant). And then this article about dirk, youre like dirk is mvp so f u if u dont like it, but come on where is his D?? and his championship?? i know the points are already tallied but maybe now they need a re-vote. As for saying your stuff is unartistic, i take that one back, im just one of those 21 year old duded who started buying slam in ‘96 when I was 10 and loving the creativity and heart that it had back then. But still, its all business and you have to get that money, so I can reapect that, and I always buy the mag still so I guess you cant be doing too bad huh?
May.14 at 6:05 pm
Jeronimo says:
Russ, call me a fool but I don’t get the JFK joke. Can somebody please explain?
May.15 at 4:37 am
Mark says:
Bryan - there is no way the Mavs win 50 games without Dirk, especially not in the West.
Seriously, I’d be surprised if they’d win more than 30.
Phoenix on the other hand is loaded with talent and should still make the play-offs without Nash.
Jun.30 at 2:44 pm
Sis says:
TRUE Dirk didn’t play D. Kobe don’t deserve it either he’s a plain out Ball Hog niether does Lebron, he gets too much pressure and ruins it for everybody!! But Steve Nash is not like them!! So steve nash deserves it but maybe the fans don’t feel the same! Think of it!!
Jun.30 at 2:46 pm
Sis says:
J. Ellen, R U Crazy Tim Duncan…. he’s like all of them put together. he’s horrible!!