Dallas-Mavs.com Forums - View Single Post - Feuding Nowitzki, Wade ignore one another

kriD · 02-22-2007, 02:04 PM

Wade just doing some defending

11:16 AM CST on Thursday, February 22, 2007
[By David Moore / The Dallas Morning News]

If you're Dwyane Wade it's hard to know what to make of the Mavericks.

Here's a team that did little to stop you with a championship on the line. Now, all it does is chip away at what you and Miami did to win the title.

No one should be surprised that Wade lashed out at Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in the days leading up to the All-Star break.

The only surprise is that it took him that long.

"When you talk about guys winning a championship and saying it's not this, it's not that, that's your legacy, man," Wade said. "To win a championship in any sport is the hardest thing. For somebody to try to take that away from you, it hurts.

"I just got tired hearing a lot of riff raff about our championship, which, you can't win four games in a row and it not be the other team. It had to be us. They didn't give us four games in a row."

Latent hostility is part of any true rivalry. We've seen that seep to the surface as the Mavericks and Heat meet tonight at American Airlines Center. Wade, who stayed at a Houston hospital Wednesday night, will not play after dislocating his left shoulder.

The Mavericks haven't gone out of their way to disparage the defending world champions. But to a man, the Mavericks believe the best team did not win in the Finals. Nowitzki and his teammates feel they gave the championship away.

"Well, if you gave it away, then that just shows you weren't ready," Miami's Shaquille O'Neal said.

"They didn't give it away. We beat them fair and square."

Wade's performance against the Mavericks didn't validate his stardom, but it launched him to another level. His average of 39.2 points and 8.2 rebounds over the final four games of the Finals is the stuff of NBA legend.

His career is on the rise, but Wade must feel as if the Mavericks are trying to drag him down. They point to the free throw discrepancy in the final two games of the series – Wade 46 attempts, the Mavericks 48 – and insinuate he was bailed out by the officials. Their talk of losing the title gives Miami no credit for winning it.

This is about respect. The Mavericks haven't given Wade and the Heat much of it.

That's why Wade claimed the Mavericks lost in the Finals because Nowitzki wasn't the leader he's supposed to be in the closing moments of close games. He didn't back off those statements during All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas.

"We won the championship last year," Wade said. "You never read about us saying anything about Dallas. We took our championship. We earned our championship.

"A lot of things came back from Dallas, from Dirk, about our championship. So me, I took that as a hit against our team. I responded for our team.

"I have nothing against Dirk. I have nothing against their team. They're having a great season. They're having the best season in a long time. They're the best team right now in the league."

Right now, it's not close. Miami has 18 fewer victories than the Mavericks. Wade, third in the league in scoring with an average of 28.8 points, is a rare bright spot in a Heat season characterized by injuries and indifference.

"No question it's tough to defend. I mean, I think it's even tougher than winning that first one. I know I have to be there for our team to succeed."

A big part of Wade's game is getting to the free throw line. His average of 11.1 attempts leads the NBA. No other player is up to 10.

Players and coaches around the league have taken the lead of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on this one. The contention is all you have to do is breathe on Wade to send him to the free throw line.

Wade calls this criticism a compliment.

He considers it frustration on the part of opponents because he refuses to stand on the perimeter and shoot jump shots.

"My game is attacking," Wade said.

On the court.

Off it, the Heat star is cordial and engaging. His criticism of Nowitzki seemed out of character.

Until you consider what prompted it.

"I didn't start it, but I did stand up for my guys," Wade said. "You know what it's going to do.

"It's going to make that game when we play them that much more fun."

It will be a whole lot less fun with Wade unable to play.

02-22-2007, 02:04 PM	#177
kriD Platinum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 2,039	Wade just doing some defending 11:16 AM CST on Thursday, February 22, 2007 [By David Moore / The Dallas Morning News] If you're Dwyane Wade it's hard to know what to make of the Mavericks. Here's a team that did little to stop you with a championship on the line. Now, all it does is chip away at what you and Miami did to win the title. No one should be surprised that Wade lashed out at Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in the days leading up to the All-Star break. The only surprise is that it took him that long. "When you talk about guys winning a championship and saying it's not this, it's not that, that's your legacy, man," Wade said. "To win a championship in any sport is the hardest thing. For somebody to try to take that away from you, it hurts. "I just got tired hearing a lot of riff raff about our championship, which, you can't win four games in a row and it not be the other team. It had to be us. They didn't give us four games in a row." Latent hostility is part of any true rivalry. We've seen that seep to the surface as the Mavericks and Heat meet tonight at American Airlines Center. Wade, who stayed at a Houston hospital Wednesday night, will not play after dislocating his left shoulder. The Mavericks haven't gone out of their way to disparage the defending world champions. But to a man, the Mavericks believe the best team did not win in the Finals. Nowitzki and his teammates feel they gave the championship away. "Well, if you gave it away, then that just shows you weren't ready," Miami's Shaquille O'Neal said. "They didn't give it away. We beat them fair and square." Wade's performance against the Mavericks didn't validate his stardom, but it launched him to another level. His average of 39.2 points and 8.2 rebounds over the final four games of the Finals is the stuff of NBA legend. His career is on the rise, but Wade must feel as if the Mavericks are trying to drag him down. They point to the free throw discrepancy in the final two games of the series – Wade 46 attempts, the Mavericks 48 – and insinuate he was bailed out by the officials. Their talk of losing the title gives Miami no credit for winning it. This is about respect. The Mavericks haven't given Wade and the Heat much of it. That's why Wade claimed the Mavericks lost in the Finals because Nowitzki wasn't the leader he's supposed to be in the closing moments of close games. He didn't back off those statements during All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. "We won the championship last year," Wade said. "You never read about us saying anything about Dallas. We took our championship. We earned our championship. "A lot of things came back from Dallas, from Dirk, about our championship. So me, I took that as a hit against our team. I responded for our team. "I have nothing against Dirk. I have nothing against their team. They're having a great season. They're having the best season in a long time. They're the best team right now in the league." Right now, it's not close. Miami has 18 fewer victories than the Mavericks. Wade, third in the league in scoring with an average of 28.8 points, is a rare bright spot in a Heat season characterized by injuries and indifference. "No question it's tough to defend. I mean, I think it's even tougher than winning that first one. I know I have to be there for our team to succeed." A big part of Wade's game is getting to the free throw line. His average of 11.1 attempts leads the NBA. No other player is up to 10. Players and coaches around the league have taken the lead of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on this one. The contention is all you have to do is breathe on Wade to send him to the free throw line. Wade calls this criticism a compliment. He considers it frustration on the part of opponents because he refuses to stand on the perimeter and shoot jump shots. "My game is attacking," Wade said. On the court. Off it, the Heat star is cordial and engaging. His criticism of Nowitzki seemed out of character. Until you consider what prompted it. "I didn't start it, but I did stand up for my guys," Wade said. "You know what it's going to do. "It's going to make that game when we play them that much more fun." It will be a whole lot less fun with Wade unable to play.