Nowitzki loses running buddy, gains esteem
Nowitzki loses running buddy, gains esteem
Nash says his departure forces Dirk to raise the level of his game
David Moore/Dallas Morning News
In almost every way that mattered, Tuesday was Steve Nash's night.
Dirk Nowitzki, who had 20 points and 16 rebounds, drives past the Suns' Shawn Marion. But everything is in place for this to be Dirk Nowitzki's season.
Raising this point after the Mavericks' first home loss of the season may seem odd. But an emotional win for Nash and an athletic Phoenix team doesn't cloud the big picture.
Nowitzki and Nash were the NBA's equivalent of Ashton and Demi or Nick and Jessica. Well, maybe not quite, but you get the idea. The two complemented each other on the court and were inseparable off it for six years.
When Nash left for greener, desert pastures, there were questions about how Nowitzki would react. Would he sulk and play like an All-Star who had lost his way? Would he hang around the 3-point line waiting for passes that never came?
Nowitzki concedes some of those same questions crossed his mind. When his cell phone rang in Germany and Nash delivered the news, he immediately congratulated his friend yet wondered how he would get his shots.
What he did was hit the gym to expand his offensive game. The results are evident in the first two-and-a-half weeks of this season.
"In some ways, he's better without me," Nash said. "He can take on his responsibility and really be as dominant as he can be.
"I think we're seeing that. He's been an MVP so far."
The moment Nash left, it was clear Nowitzki would have to do more. He worked on beating his defender off the dribble. He worked on the post game he had always been reluctant to emphasize.
"Steve is so great in setting other people up, he's just the best in the league of doing that, making your guy collapse or commit to the ball then giving you wide open jumpers," Nowitzki said. "I knew a lot of other point guards couldn't do it like that.
"I had to learn to create my shot a little more, a little better. I had to get fouled and get to the line a lot more. That's what I'm trying to do, get to the basket more."
It's working. When the outside shot isn't dropping or the offense rhythm is disrupted, as it was in this game, Nowitzki gets to the line. The forward's average of 9.9 attempts is nearly double his average of last season. Only Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant has been to the free throw line more this season.
That's not all. Nowitzki's field goal percentage and assists are up. His 3-point attempts are down. The ball is in his hands more often as the Mavericks run a significant portion of their offense through him and Marquis Daniels.
All of this would have happened eventually. But Nash's departure accelerated the process.
"Now we mix it up a little bit," said Nowitzki, who had an off night and still finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds. "I'm catching the ball on the elbows a lot and trying to make plays there. We still do pick and roll once in a while, but it's not as big of a deal as it used to be."
Those who focused on Nowitzki's laid-back temperament and doubted that he would become more assertive missed the point. Nowitzki doesn't shirk from responsibility; he simply doesn't shove a teammate out of the way to grab it.
Nash's departure took Nowitzki out of his comfort zone. It didn't strip him of his identity or pride.
The night belonged to Nash. But Nowitzki has something bigger in mind.
"I wish he could be a part of this," Nowitzki said of his best friend. "But at some point, we've all got to move on in our lives and our careers."
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