So, This Is Why Dirk Choked in the Playoffs?
Even the biggest Dallas Mavs homer can admit the following: Dirk Nowitzki, winner of the 2007 regular season MVP, took a heaping dump on the court (apologies for the visual everyone) during the postseason last year and basically placed an enormous asterisk on the glorious season he and his team were enjoying.
We blamed it on his so called “softness”; some thought the Warriors (and specifically, Stephen Jackson) intimidated the big German; others still placed the blame on his coach Avery Johnson for getting outfoxed by his former mentor, Don Nelson.
Whatever the case, the man came up small on the biggest stage, and unless he can redeem himself, it’ll leave an almost-impossible-to-ignore stain on his otherwise stellar (and Hall of Fame worthy) career.
In today’s Dallas Morning News, there’s a lengthy profile on Dirk Nowitzki, and in it we find out that Dirk was carrying a heavy heart during the Warriors series. It turns out that his father, Jörg, was undergoing surgery in Dallas:
“It was not easy for him to deal with the pressure of the playoffs and my dad’s surgery at the same time,” Dirk’s sister Silke e-mailed from the family’s hometown of Würzburg, Germany. “But Dirk is good at being able to focus on his game when he is on the court.”
The specifics of the surgery aren’t made available to the public, and not make excuses for Dirk’s poor Playoff showing, but this is an important reminder that despite these guys being paid more than handsomely and living the kind of life most of us can only dream of, they’re still human beings with real problems - problems that can certainly affect performance - like you and I.
95 Responses to “So, This Is Why Dirk Choked in the Playoffs?”
Oct.31 at 1:31 pm
dirk says:
first
Oct.31 at 1:32 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
dirk is a bitch
Oct.31 at 1:34 pm
dirk says:
bitch @ss tarzan jungle bitch
Oct.31 at 1:35 pm
Chris O says:
Sh*tty deal for Dirk. It’s tough for anyone to focus when they’ve got family matters (real life, or the sitcom) on their minds.
Oct.31 at 1:36 pm
Hi! says:
i place all the blame on avery johnson
Oct.31 at 1:57 pm
jawn says:
hahahah what the hell.. my god! so your tellin me that this is the reason why dirk has always sucked in playoffs?
Oct.31 at 1:57 pm
white hot eboy says:
Unless it was tonsil surgery, I’ll give Dirk some leahway then.
Oct.31 at 1:57 pm
jawn says:
hahahah what the hell.. my god! so your tellin me that this is the reason why dirk has always sucked in playoffs? his pops must go under the knife once a year. not a good excuse dirk
Oct.31 at 1:58 pm
The Black President says:
Tarzan has no soul
Oct.31 at 2:02 pm
jbn74sb says:
I’ll give him a pass too, but how does one explain his shrinkage during games 3-6 against the Heat in 2006?
Oct.31 at 2:08 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
its quite simple, dirk, you see, is a bitch
Oct.31 at 2:16 pm
jbn74sb says:
Tarzan - Ordinarily, I’d agree with that sentiment. But I know how hard it is to focus on my job when things get hectic in my personal life, so, as for the GS series, Dirk gets a pass. Have a heart, dude. You, not Dirk.
Oct.31 at 2:20 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Whatever. You’re the MVP of a 60-plus win team playing the eight seed (with home-court advantage, no less). Unless you have an arrow stuck through your head, you win the series. Period.
Oct.31 at 2:20 pm
Rasheedionics says:
Doesn’t he have a post up game now that he developed over the summer? He’s really out of excuses now.
Oct.31 at 2:22 pm
jbn74sb says:
Wasn’t it Russ who defended Dirk’s right to lay an egg against GS? If my memory is correct, you are flip-flopping like 24.
Oct.31 at 2:22 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Besides, everyone figured it out when it happened–Nellie was in Dirk’s head, and Boom Dizzle and Stack Jack were playing out of their minds (even moreso than usual). Wasn’t no mystery to it. I don’t remember anyone at the time saying, ‘man, Dirk doesn’t seem like himself,’ or ‘wow, Dirk really seems distracted this week.’ Y’all LOST. Bad. Move on and don’t do it again. (P.S. Get well soon from your mystery ailment, Herr Nowitzki.)
Oct.31 at 2:24 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I “defended his right”? I’m pretty sure I just said that Golden State was far from the average eight seed, and no one should have been shocked that Dallas lost. That said, when you have the MVP and home court, you SHOULD beat anybody. They didn’t. And while I think that’s weak, I’m not gonna push Dirk under the proverbial bus for it.
Oct.31 at 2:26 pm
Todd D. says:
Jordan’s father was murdered for the championship ring his son gave him. Did MJ stop winning chamionships? Buck up Dirk! I feel empowered to be insensitive because general surgery is so vague — was dirk weeping over wart removal?
Oct.31 at 2:27 pm
Drolfe says:
Dirk bouncing back in this years playoffs is one of the biggest things im hoping for this year, along with Amare beating the absolute sh*t out of TD and the rest of the league nightly.
Oct.31 at 2:28 pm
Tarzan's Jane says:
Dirk may have had a lot on his mind, but the fact remains he chokes on a regular basis jbn74sb. Heavy heart or not, the issue in the long run here is Dirk’s inability to make those game saving shots.
Oct.31 at 2:29 pm
Bryan says:
Dirk needs a killer end game player next to him and he go back to being an all star and not have his leadership questioned.
Oct.31 at 2:34 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
He has one of those in Jerry Stackhouse (laugh if you must, I’ll wait). And I know I said the Mavs should have won that series, but Golden State was on a MISSION. Wrong team, wrong time. To decide Dirk is a choker who can’t get it done based on one series and part of another (if he’s such a choker and non-clutch player, how’d they get to the Finals in the first place?) is ludicrous.
Oct.31 at 2:34 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I realize it may seem I’m arguing three or four sides at the same time, but I just don’t think things are ever so black-and-white.
Oct.31 at 2:40 pm
white hot eboy says:
I’m convinced that the two (with the exception of Lebron) most discussed players on this site are Dirk and 24 and neither has done a f*cking thing to warrant this type of discussion. Kobe hasn’t been relevant to winning since 2003 and Dirk has no championship pedigree to fall back on, ever.
Oct.31 at 2:46 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
If you were any more of a troll you’d live under a bridge.
Oct.31 at 2:48 pm
white hot eboy says:
I wish I could figure out who Russ was talking about.
Oct.31 at 2:48 pm
white hot eboy says:
If it was me, thanks, I guess. It is Halloween. I thought my statement was kind of factual, actually.
Oct.31 at 2:53 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Fine, I’ll bite. So the ONLY reason it’s worth ever discussing a professional athlete is if they’ve won a championship? Yes or no.
Oct.31 at 2:58 pm
white hot eboy says:
IT WAS ME!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously Russ, I would prefer to have these 200 comment discussions about Tim Duncan or the Spurs organization or another group of players in the league that are the FUTURE of the league, not some present day guys who are talked about for their faults and their lack of character or heart. I know it makes for good smack talk between the people here and elsewhere where these discussions go on, but SERIOUSLY, every week, we have to go over this for each person who wasn’t here for the last one? Enough already.
Oct.31 at 2:59 pm
Tarzan's Jane says:
Actually Russ. KOBE is a whiny cry baby who after running Shaq off because he wanted to be big cheese is now cryin because he isn’t strong enough to carry a team and DIRK is a great player who can’t get it done in the end. All I think EBOY is sayin is, there are far better players out there to be talking so much about then these losers.
Oct.31 at 2:59 pm
white hot eboy says:
And just to clarify, the closest bridge to my home is about 5 miles, so I’m in the general area.
Oct.31 at 3:01 pm
The Best Yet says:
Y’all getting a bit confusing.
Dirk chokes when it matters the most. Sorry to hear his dad went under the knife at that time, but still in those big games after the 3rd week of April, he chokes.
And to the ‘he needs a end game backup player’ or whatever, that role goes to Stackhouse.
Oct.31 at 3:04 pm
jbn74sb says:
The closet bridge to your house is 5 miles away? Do they not have rivers, valley, or other such geographical features down there? There are at least 20 different bridges within 5 miles of my house. I am now wondering if eboy secretly lives in the wild like the Unabomber.
Oct.31 at 3:05 pm
white hot eboy says:
Tarzan’s Jane, if you are a female, and part of Mr. Tarzan’s world, you just made more sense then he ever has here.
Oct.31 at 3:05 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
What is there to discuss about Tim Duncan???? You just hate Kobe to the point of irrationality and refuse to accept that there’s a lot of interest in him.
Oct.31 at 3:07 pm
white hot eboy says:
It’s called inland in Florida. And when I speak of bridges, idiot, I mean ones automobiles travel over, not tiny wooden ones or footbridges that serve little purpose, which there are hundreds of.
Oct.31 at 3:08 pm
motjopi aka slix says:
Dirk is a true PENIS aka dik. he messed us up good!
Oct.31 at 3:10 pm
The Best Yet says:
biggest loser being KOBE BRYANT. Many a day have I read postings on various topics and they all lead to a “who should trade for Kobe”. There are 400+ players in the league. And we all know full well that we all hate Kobe. Even Bryan (in secret)
Oct.31 at 3:10 pm
white hot eboy says:
Russ, anytime I’ve ever read a piece about TD, he always comes off as funny and entertaining. I didn’t realize those were a poor quality when a reporter puts together an article about someone. Kind of like your Rashard piece. He seemed pretty down to earth, but that may have been just related to your writing style, I’m not sure though.
Oct.31 at 3:13 pm
motjopi aka slix says:
see i always visioned Dirk to be one of the guys infact the only guy that made me love the Dallas!but hey lik a real captain on the ship he sunk it last season!!
Oct.31 at 3:14 pm
The Best Yet says:
atleast you guys got bridges and whatnot. I live below sea level and pray each day the dams hold.
Oct.31 at 3:14 pm
white hot eboy says:
Meaning: you wrote a really good piece about Rashard, but for all we know, you may have thought he was a complete as*hole. But because you did excellent work, you made him look good.
Oct.31 at 3:15 pm
Tarzan's Jane says:
Yes eboy I am female and just a beginner when it comes to the world of bball, but I am lovin everything I have learned so far. Thanks.
Oct.31 at 3:15 pm
Allenp says:
I think Dirk and Kobe are two of the most interesting players in the league and they cause the most visceral reactions among fans. Those two and Steve Nash. People either seem to love them to death, or have major issues with them. That leads to discussion. Five or six years ago we would have been talking about Iverson like this, but he’s gotten the Martin Luther King treatment over the past few years.
Oct.31 at 3:15 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
TD is entertaining, it’s just that there’s nothing to discuss. If I say “Tim Duncan is the most valuable player in the league and the best power forward of all-time,’ it isn’t exactly a polarizing statement. Most people will say, “yeah, and?” While if I say “Kobe is the best all-around player in the world today,” it’ll lead to a 200-comment thread with death threats and lots of irrational statements. This isn’t about articles, it’s about DISCUSSIONS. And controversial players breed the best discussions.
Oct.31 at 3:18 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
eboy: Thanks for the kind words on Shard. I hardly ever like my own stories, though.
Oct.31 at 3:20 pm
white hot eboy says:
You forgot calling people trolls and the like.
Oct.31 at 3:21 pm
jbn74sb says:
I’d still counter that Duncan is a center, but whatever.
Oct.31 at 3:21 pm
white hot eboy says:
I always got love for you, Russ. Trolls are always looking for acceptance.
Oct.31 at 3:21 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Allenp: Iverson’s an interesting case. He WAS a major topic of discussion before he got traded, but now that he’s in Denver he’s been mostly off the radar. Part of it has to do with the general transformation of the NBA (in 1997, tattoos and cornrows were CRAZY, now they’re on, uh, Brad Miller), part of it has to do with him being on Denver, but the biggest part has to do with him being—dare I say—comfortable? Carmelo Anthony seems to be the one taking the lion’s share of the spotlight out there, and it seems like AI is more than OK with that. At least for now.
Oct.31 at 3:21 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
this seems like a good time to do this
Oct.31 at 3:22 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Bodie: Center, power forward, whatever. If my all-time starting five had him at power forward over Snarl Alone, I’d be fine with it.
Oct.31 at 3:23 pm
white hot eboy says:
I’d prefer to see AI go back to the old AI.
Oct.31 at 3:31 pm
white hot eboy says:
Oh boy. Tarzan, I feel bad for you right now.
Oct.31 at 3:33 pm
jbn74sb says:
Tarzan - Occassionally you make some comments that are worthy of reading and sometimes even worthy of a response. When you do sh-t like that, it just lets everyone know you’re an idiot. So quit it.
Oct.31 at 3:37 pm
Drolfe says:
That’s clever.
Oct.31 at 3:40 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
feel bad for me? why is that? but to comment on something you touched on, ai has been invisible, and that is very weird.
Oct.31 at 3:48 pm
white hot eboy says:
Because, right now the rest of the SLAMonline readers and writers are looking at your ZZZ posts and thinking one of two things, A)this kid is mildly retarded and feel bad for you, or B)want to tell you how idiotic you make yourself out to be by doing things like that but may not want to put out the effort to type a response to you because they feel it will not register in your ZZZZ clouded mind.
Oct.31 at 3:58 pm
Chris O says:
A few things:
Tarzan, cut that sh*t out.
Tarzan’s Jane, why are you with this fool?
Dirk’s got some clutch in him. Remember how he took out the Spurs to get to the Finals? The “career-defining” performance he put on the Suns in the same year? Unless you’re MJ, the ball won’t drop for you every time, defenses will occasionally get the best of you and sometimes you’ll lose to team’s in the Finals. Sh*t happens. I think the Mavs will probably get to the top of the mountain before Dirk’s done. No one said it was easy.
Oct.31 at 3:59 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
im not concerned with how anyone on here thinks about me. with all the mindlessness by others on here, ie kobe and dirk, are kobe and dirk worth talking about, etc, i figure ill make you feel the frustration that i feel about all the bs you all post.
Oct.31 at 4:00 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
chris o, dirk did not take out the spurs, manu f’d up. dirk has made some clutch shots, but i certainly wouldnt call him a clutch player. the spurs make it look easy.
Oct.31 at 4:04 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
Oct.31 at 4:29 pm
Darksaber says:
To be honest Tarzan, YOU are the biaaatch. Ever played on the NBA level? No? then shut it.
Oct.31 at 4:30 pm
John E. Sanford says:
I’m sorry homeboy, Dirk was a killer in that Spurs series in ‘06. 37 points and 15 boards in a Game 7 is major.
Oct.31 at 4:35 pm
Captain America says:
Came up small, sounds familiar. Anyway, even KG said he has a hard time being aggressive against people he knows. And, Dirk is German. Probably still donning the Hitler complex.
Oct.31 at 4:43 pm
Hoopla says:
Slam really needs to screen some people. Put a red flag on their email name so the real ballers can have a safe haven from the man who plays with Jane. What a waste. A mental case. Gotta feel sorry for the dude. Well, you gotta feel sorry for anyone who would call himself tarzan.
Oct.31 at 5:14 pm
Jukai says:
Tarzan just hates white people (ie Nash, Dirk) so don’t listen to him.
Oct.31 at 5:15 pm
Jukai says:
Wasn’t Tarzan like, crying when that drugged m!up old Eddie Griffin got hit by a train? But Dirk’s dad having heart surgery… screw hi
Oct.31 at 5:18 pm
Jukai says:
Wow, Tarzan’s a freaking moron. The more I read these comments, the the more my opinion of Tarzan drops.
Oct.31 at 5:19 pm
albie1kenobi says:
interesting point about KG from Captain America. when i play nba video games against my friends, i always held back and try not to blow them out the water. i’ve had that come back to bite me in the ass once or twice (losing the game) but i still do it. i must be stupid.
Oct.31 at 5:20 pm
whitechocolate says:
fu9k tarzan
Oct.31 at 5:41 pm
H to the izzo says:
And Russ thought Eboy was bad
Oct.31 at 5:45 pm
backboard says:
oh boy, Captain America went there……
Oct.31 at 6:13 pm
jawn says:
only one way to describe this post… HAMMERS! oh yeah tarzan is retard. his post make me zzzz. REAL TALK!
Oct.31 at 6:35 pm
Maxwell says:
I don’t believe I have ever posted on Slam Online.
This kind of ignorant back and forth is an unfortunate footnote to a good article. What a shame.
Oct.31 at 8:16 pm
Dyce says:
Um……I want to know where is dirks lengthy failures in the playoffs that everyone brings up…….They lost to the heat, but he performed well in all of those games….The ref just put the jordan rules on wade 10x that made them win…..
Oct.31 at 8:44 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
I deleted Tarzan’s self-indulgent comments. He’s been warned.
Oct.31 at 9:00 pm
white hot eboy says:
I tried to warn you, Dum Dum Cooper. Don’t listen to the old guy, I don’t know sh*t. Tarzan, I love you, but get tight.
Nov.1 at 12:03 am
Jukai says:
Lang lays down the HAMMER
Nov.1 at 7:39 am
nothin _personal says:
Damn Russ, are you serious? You don’t like your articles? Definitely the most interesting part of the mag. (wich I am probably not renewing, I start thinking it’s boring).
Nov.1 at 9:21 am
tomy says:
stop callin dirk nowitzki a bitch just because he´s a white successfull nba-player
he played well in playoffs except the 2007 ones
and now we all know why…
so please stop it
start bitchin on mcgrady, this guy is even worse man, he hasn´t got out of the first round ever, or man! yao! he´s the same…
or kobe (kay you´re already doin this)
there are so many guys out there in the league, worth calling them a bitch
so why you all chose nowitzki?
he just came short a bit in the `06 playoffs
did your by all loved garnett ever get in the damn finals?
so please stop it
i´m out
Nov.1 at 10:29 am
Hisham says:
what’d he say, what’d he say??
Nov.1 at 5:23 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
n_p: Well, I just always think I can do a lot better. I’m my own worst enemy. Harshest critic. Whatever. Ask Ryan.
Hisham: It started with “z,” ended in “z,” and in the middle there were a lot of “z”s. You can figure out the rest.
Nov.1 at 7:24 pm
NB says:
You people are heartless ***holes. I would love to anyone of you internet gangstas have the whole world question your character, heart, and mental capacity and see how you handle it. Dirk is a great athlete, a good person and gets no respect whatsoever. But people love LeBron James for clanging shots off the rim in clutch moments. Oh! But wait! He can dunk! I don’t get it.
Nov.2 at 4:07 am
Jukai says:
I gotta say, after watching TNT… I have a HELLUVA lot more respect for Dirk, more than I had before. Smith and Johnson pretty much called him out on the issue and Dirk has lots of people to blame it on… the team, the coach, his Dad, media… he could do any of the generic OJ May excuses. But he manned up and put the blame totally on himself. And for being on the receiving end of the biggest upset in playoff history, that’s a HUGE thing to put all on yourself.
Nov.2 at 1:02 pm
maio says:
I never let any family controversy affect my performance on an NBA court. Sign me.
Nov.2 at 1:27 pm
Sesa says:
Dude, a coach must recognizes his player’s struggles despite their off-court problems. Why only Dirk is accounted for Mavs loss? There are OTHER player on the team. The others just won’t step up. I believed that’s what Co-Captain are for.
Nov.2 at 1:40 pm
ekzistenz says:
The young padewan came up against his master, in Nelly, and came up short.
Nov.2 at 2:00 pm
Dan says:
Did anyone even bother to read the article ? Dirk hasn’t made any excuses for the GSW series, the only ones who do are the writer and Dirk’s sister.
The article does show why Dirk is one of my favorite players though- just an incredibly nice and humble guy, but I guess most people here are still more obsessed with the need to front to appreciate that. Doesn’t matter, Stephen Jackson needs some love too.
Nov.2 at 4:15 pm
dma says:
dunking will always give you a pass in the nba. great shooters get no respect and will always be called a bitch or soft - dirk, reggie, ray allen, chuck person.
Nov.3 at 4:39 pm
JA says:
Fact is, it don’t matter when or who you lose to in the playoffs. All that matters is you lost. Mavs still havn’t gotten it done. Niether have the Suns, but steve nash didn’t choke? They might have gotten “screwed,” but what about the 1000 free throws d wade got in the 06 finals?
Nov.4 at 5:00 am
jrod76 says:
More like Mark Cuban is the real Bitch!!!!! An Hi! Don’t be a Spurs hater!!!!! Avery doesn’t play for Dirk! So the one you should be blaming is that bitch azz Mark Cuban!!! SPURS 4 LIFE!!!!!!
Nov.7 at 9:42 am
Alonso says:
Well obviously everyone here are Dirk haters!!
He is the best NBA player known right now!
The Mavs are one of the Best NBA Teams!, but right now I now Bass, Harris, Dampier, George are injured! But they will be back and stronger than ever!
So don’t hate on the Mavs yet!
Wait ti’ll they come back to help the Mavs out!
They will crush every single team!
: D
So Dirk will keep on doing his best and will not fail…..that’s what I say..so don’t hate on the MVP!
: D
Nov.7 at 9:44 am
Alonso says:
Go Dirk!
Nov.7 at 9:46 am
Alonso says:
Dirk does his best in the Playoffs!
But he’s so good in the regular season that they defend Dirk really good to win….but they fail casue they have other weapons like The JET! J-5! and my man Stack!
So they defend Dirk really good in the playoffs and well he will find away to break through that!