Catching Up With Dirk
ESPN’s Marc Stein recently caught up with Dirk Nowitzki, and they talked about everything from the big guy’s summer trip to Australia, playing with the German national team in Eurobasket 2007, his goals for the upcoming NBA season, and of course, the 800-pound gorilla in the room: the catastrophic Golden State series.
Hopefully our season is never going to be that short again, so this was my chance to get away for a good four or five weeks. It seemed like Australia was the best spot to go. Nobody cares about the MVP down there. It wasn’t hard at all [traveling] around. It was great, actually.
[…]
Have you gone back yet and watched any of the Golden State series?
I can’t see myself doing that any time soon. Maybe I should. Once I get back [to the States], maybe I’ll ask our video guys to put together [clips from] some of my offensive [possessions]. But I don’t really need to watch it again. I already know what they did to me. They played me with a smaller guy, they fronted me, they crowded me.
The good news for Mavs supporters is that their leader sounds like he’s moved on from the Playoff humiliation, and appears ready for another title shot. Still, even though Dirk says that his squad only had trouble with one team and not twenty-nine of them, you have to wonder about their chances going into next season without having made any significant roster changes.
What’s to stop the other 29 teams (the ones that can, anyhow) from adopting G-State’s strategy?
36 Responses to “Catching Up With Dirk”
Sep.3 at 1:11 pm
Chukaz says:
1st
Sep.3 at 1:14 pm
Chukaz says:
Hell yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sep.3 at 1:16 pm
PG27 says:
I hate dirk soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!
Sep.3 at 1:19 pm
Chukaz says:
“Dirk says that his squad only had trouble with one team and not twenty-nine of them” Doesn’t he mean 28 teams? I mean, are they gonna play against themselves? Unless the one team his squad had troubles with was the Mavs.
Sep.3 at 2:31 pm
Young Chris #3 says:
Chukaz lives!!! And maybe Dirk is saying that the Warriors didn’t beat them, that they beat themselves… Oooooooooooh, Dirk’s sneaky like that!
Sep.3 at 2:41 pm
Esco says:
Chukaz actually makes a valid point. I’m in shock.
Sep.3 at 2:44 pm
Jack says:
Wouldn’t it be 28 other teams?
Sep.3 at 2:45 pm
Jack says:
Oh, I didn’t read the other comments >.>
Sep.3 at 3:22 pm
Yannik says:
Hi,
Im from Germany and i watched the game of Dirk against Czech and i have to say: The NBA can be proud to have such a guy like Dirk Nowitzki…
35 points and 10 rebounds i think
Sep.3 at 3:42 pm
b4hoops says:
Despite some vanishing acts in the playoffs, Dirk’s skills on the court are pretty undeniable. I’d put my money on Dallas bouncing back and making a serious run in the playoffs.
Sep.3 at 4:17 pm
Madtice says:
No, this squad is lost forever… They’ll be really insecure going into the playoffs if they don’t add another piece that’ll give ‘m hope and confidence. If only for psychological effect, say, a Don Nelson Effect…
Sep.3 at 4:17 pm
Captain America says:
thought Dirk played like Cuban in the series, that’s not good.
Sep.3 at 4:47 pm
TheMC5 says:
No, it would still be 29. There’s 29 teams in the league besides Dallas, right? So to say they had trouble with 1 but not all 29 is perfectly valid. Jesus, people, think please.
Sep.3 at 5:04 pm
Chukaz says:
@TheMC5: You are right. My math skills are as bad as Dirk’s basketball skillz.
Sep.3 at 5:11 pm
Chukaz says:
“What’s to stop the other 29 teams (the ones that can, anyhow) from adopting G-State’s strategy?” Donagie? No. The Sternbot? No. President Bush? He can’t even stop terrorist.
Sep.3 at 5:46 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
i be dirk was listening to hassellhoff and crying for the first couple weeks in australia
Sep.3 at 5:51 pm
Darksaber says:
Hmm, what to do? How to defend Dirk Werner? Hey Chukaz, may i see your MVP trophy so you can claim some knowledge into how it is to play in THE League? Met Dirk this Sommer, somber, friendly, didn’t make excuses about G-State or anything else. Good man, hope the germans can advance far in the Eurobasket tournament these next few weeks. And i’m not even a kraut meeself, but i admire myself some Dirk Nowitzki. Oh and PG27? Whatever man, keep on loving Jamal and “Star”bury.
Sep.3 at 5:52 pm
Chris O says:
Not related to Stein’s article, but I love how ESPN has started plugging their outdoors (hunting) site on their NBA page. Did you see that pic of the dude holding up that dead deer? He f*cked that deer up! I bet he hid in a tree all day with his gun and when the deer walked by him…BAM! Seriously, if you’re going to plug this, why not make a pro wrestling page too? Or figure skating?
Sep.3 at 5:52 pm
phunkykarma says:
Dirk is my favorite hippy. Ever.
Sep.3 at 5:54 pm
phunkykarma says:
It’s funny how dirk has a funky karma, hu?
Sep.3 at 7:28 pm
Tim Dennis says:
When dirk was in NZ my girlfriend saw him at the airport and took a picture with him, NO one knew who he was!? lucky that my girl watched the allstar game with me this year
Sep.3 at 7:40 pm
jk_light says:
Dirk put up 35 in a close game against the Czech in the EURO tournament, making important shots at the end of the game and in overtime.
Most teams know what to do against Dirk and he scores no matter what.
It’s so funny that nearly everybody forgets his play-offs in 06 before the final series, where he played great in all 3 rounds against the grizzlies, Spurs and Suns. Some teams just have the personel to succeed against him, but I would take my chance with him anytime.
Also the most friendly and down to earth guy there is while earning several millions a year. Keep going Dirk, there are more important things than listen to some haters, that play pick-up ball at the YMCA at most when you average over 20 in the play-offs, have one final appearance and overachieve nearly everytime with the German National Team.
Sep.3 at 9:53 pm
tsmooth says:
geeze jk_light sounds like you really love the guy
Sep.3 at 11:28 pm
Ben Osborne says:
I’d like to see the beard. Also, are Dirk and Holger a little TOO close?
Sep.4 at 12:28 am
Tarzan Cooper says:
ben, i was always thought it was strange dirk had some eerie older guy following him around everywhere discussing the physics of the best angle to get it in the hole.
Sep.4 at 2:12 am
TheMC5 says:
I think that might be because in America, everyone is too busy being egocentric that nobody bothers with the idea of being a real mentor. I think it’s great for Dirk.
Sep.4 at 6:03 am
Pais says:
when it comes to Dirk people seem to be terribly biased one way or the other…I saw Germany vs. Czech Rep. yesterday and don’t let the numbers fool you, this was terrible basketball played in slow motion. Kobe would have had 82 points easy. Dirk did not make all the big shots at the end (most of them though), he showed pretty bad shot selection at times & he also happens to be the only, single, solitary scoring option, every play is the exact same…pass to Dirk (he finished with 35 but to put that into perspective, Germany had 25 points at halftime, no one else was scoring). Now I’m sure he’s a great fellow & he sure is a really good (not great) player, but lets not get it twisted. He NOT the guy that should be representing the NBA as their best and most lethal player…you’re crazy to say otherwise
Sep.4 at 6:14 am
Pais says:
MVP of the NBA could be automaticaly be at least considered the best player in the world. All you Europeans are so desperate for Dirk (A European)to be this guy…but deep down in your heart of hearts you know he’s not. He is not the chosen one guys, sorry.
Sep.4 at 6:31 am
jk_light says:
It is even more impressive to score 35 when the rest of the team can’t score and when they can never get him in a good position or create an open shot for him. He sure took some bad shots and missed some, but I can’t blame him for that.
And to say Kobe would have scored 82 easily, sure!!! May be he would have scored 63, but not more;-)
I think he deserved the MVP award with the way it is rewarded these days, even though I see some players in front of him like Kobe, Lebron and Tim Duncan.
If you talk about the most lethal player, nobody could say otherwise than Kobe in my opinion.
And Pais, you are right: people love him or hate him, there is no middle. But he never said that he is one of the best 20 players to ever play the game and neither do I, but most people act like it.
If he would have that killer instinct and played defense like Ben Wallace and could destroy smaller defenders like the bigger ones, he would be one of the best ever.
But I can life with multiple All-Star and great guy. Btw, funny comments from Tarzan Cooper and Ben Osborne
Sep.4 at 6:39 am
jk_light says:
Other than Nowitki my favorite player is Kobe and next to him Jason Kidd and Steve Nash and before that it was MJ, Pippen and the Reign Man.
I can also not stand Pau Gasol, Okur or the whole Greek national team. I also want the US to win the Olympics next year so there is more than just him being German (European).
Sure I’m a little biased but that is not everything.
Sep.4 at 6:50 pm
Paniscus says:
Dirk can fall down seven times and get up eight.
Sep.5 at 10:15 am
seppo says:
Dirk scored 24 in a 30-point piecing of Turkey, which features Turkoglu, Okur and Ilyasova. All you haters need to shut up and give Dirk his props.
Sep.7 at 1:09 am
Darksaber says:
Jk_light, Amen to the Pau-Eurochamp hate. I’d add Calderon and Milicic to my list, and voila, haterade for the punks in eurobasket. Kinda dig Navarro and Garbajosa though. Pau is a freaking whiner
Sep.7 at 8:28 am
The Best Yet says:
i watched the Germany-Czech game too and have to say that the German squad sucked. They simply gave Dirk the ball on each possession and prayed that he made something happen. That aint basketball. Luckily they cleaned up there act for the following game against Turkey.
Jiri Welsch was the MVP of that game. Dirk just got lucky.
Sep.7 at 10:41 am
Fuwawan says:
Certainly one of the more likeable players in the NBA and definitely one of the top talents - just not too sure if he’s decent leader material or simply a unique player playing for a very conventional team and coach.
Sep.8 at 1:54 pm
b-ball god says:
DIRK DIDN’T STEP UP AS USUAL
WEN IS HE GONNA PLAY LIKE THE GERMAN NAZI BEAST HE IS