Sitting is hard to stomach for Dirk
After being sidelined by food poisoning, Nowitzki rested and ready to play vs. Denver
11:22 PM CDT on Thursday, April 5, 2007
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com
DENVER – Dirk Nowitzki doesn't always reveal his innermost thoughts, so it was a bit unfortunate that he picked his bout of food poisoning to slip into too-much-information mode.
Looking more chipper after Thursday's practice at the University of Denver, Nowitzki seemed to take great delight in going over the grisly details of his stomach problem. Bad sea bass in Sacramento was the culprit, he said. Next time, he'll go with the sturgeon.
After he was done explaining the ins and outs of his gastro calamity, Nowitzki divulged that missing Tuesday's game in Sacramento, along with getting two more days off before tonight's test in Denver, might have been a blessing in disguise.
Avery Johnson certainly sees it that way.
"I was actually glad at the end of the day that we won that game without Dirk because even though he was sick, it still gave him a chance to rest from the aches and the bumps and the stuff he's been dealing with," Johnson said.
Nowitzki has turned his left ankle twice in the last 10 days, and while neither was serious, they are the kind of nagging injuries that no player wants going into the playoffs.
In that respect, his break in the action won't hurt, even if he doesn't enjoy it.
"We'll see once the playoffs roll around, but I don't like days off," Nowitzki said. "It was definitely more time than I wanted and needed. I worked out with the team [Thursday], and my legs felt pretty wobbly. That's obviously something I've got to get rid of going into the playoffs, but I got two more weeks.
"Things are coming together a little bit now. I've had a lot of stuff within a week, so hopefully, I'm getting it all out of the way before the playoffs. We've still got two weeks until it really counts, so hopefully, I'm in great shape when the playoffs roll around."
When he spent Tuesday night in his hotel room instead of playing against Sacramento, he was too weak to do much of anything.
"I really didn't have enough power to pace around," he said, "so I was just sitting in my bed. I left for the bathroom a couple times. It wasn't really a good deal."
Like all the Mavericks, Nowitzki is eager to begin tapering down for the playoffs. His coach, Holger Geschwindner, will arrive next week to help get Nowitzki playoff-ready.
"I've got to get everything right before we start it off," he said.
Not much has been wrong for Nowitzki all season. He's the front-runner for the MVP award, in spite of a couple of blah games on national television recently. His numbers have been consistent virtually the entire season.
What made Tuesday night more frustrating for Nowitzki was that he wasn't able to be with the team. It was the first time this season he hasn't been at the arena for a game. He sat out New Year's Eve against Denver, but was in the building resting in the training room with a sinus infection.
"It was definitely a weird experience," Nowitzki said. "Every time I'm not able to be out there with the boys is a weird feeling for me. Even when I'm not playing, I just love to be there on the bench or at least in the locker room to show the support."