Nice article about Dirk : FedEx

[jibikao]

Not sure if anybody pasted the article...
-------------------------
Nowitzki: Getting Better All the Time

They were joined at the hip: Nash & Nowitzki. Nowitzki & Nash. Two Mavericks who not only possessed one of the league's best two-man games on the court, but off of it, were the closest of friends. So, when Nash signed a free-agent contract with the Phoenix Suns during the offseason, questions quickly arose in Big D regarding the 7-foot German native.


What would happen to Nowitzki's game now that his longtime teammate was no longer around to get him the ball? How would he handle the role of being the undisputed man?

The result? A career season. The three-time All-Star (and soon to be four timer) ranks third in the NBA in scoring, averaging 26.9 points and 11th in rebounding, pulling down an average of 11 per game, both career highs. His number of 30 plus-point games this season is at 13 (and counting), in which the Mavs are undefeated. Last season, Nowitzki tallied 12. The four-time All-NBA selection also established career highs this season of 41-and 53-point games, breaking last season's high mark of 41.

"Dirk is fantastic," said Rudy Tomjanovich, five-time All-Star with the Houston Rockets and current head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. "If he played back in our era, in the '70s, you'd say that guy is from another planet. He's 7-foot tall, he can dribble, he can shoot, he can do this, and he can do that. And his post-up game has gotten a lot better."

The uniqueness of Nowitzki's game has drawn rave reviews ever since his second NBA season when he averaged 17.5 points. It wasn't long before his perimeter skills and excellent court awareness reminded some of another long-range, blond-haired bomber.

"I compare him to Larry Bird," said Scottie Pippen, who was a teammate of Bird's on the 1992 Dream Team and recently retired from the NBA prior to this season. "He's grown a lot, he's shown that he's going to have a great future in this game, and he's shown people that you can compare him to some of the great players."


Similar to Pippen, Nowitzki plays point forward for the Mavs, handling the ball on virtually every offensive possession. Nowitzki's assertiveness has translated into more free throw attempts per game this season, 10.3 compared to 5.5 last season.

"I have more responsibility now," said Nowitzki, recently named NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for December. "I am getting more shots and being more aggressive. That's just my job."

The source of inspiration for Nowitzki growing up in Germany was none other than the six-time NBA champion himself.

"It was Pippen," said Nowitzki, who led the German team over the summer that qualified for the 2005 European Championships. "We used to get about two Bulls games a week over there, and I fell in love with his game. He was smooth, the way he moved. He could do everything in the post, he was a great defender, could shoot whenever he needed to."

Nash and Nowitzki are still linked, alright, although not as teammates, but as MVP candidates for different teams.
-----------------------------------------------


Dirk for MVP
Steve for MVP

Muahahahahahaaha.

I really think Dirk has improved a lot this year both Physically (skills) and Mentally. The way he carried Mavs against the Spurs last week is excellent. His defense kicked in and his jumpshot kicked in. Dirk was unstoppable. That's what I like about Dirk!!! Many people think he is un-guardable and when people think you are un-guardable, you must be GOOD. hehe

By the way, it's quite interesting to see what Dirk's favorite player is Pippen. I've always liked Pippen... But I don't think Dirk plays like Pippen at all. lol

[The Miles]

Whats the link?

I want to post it at Insidehoops but I don't post things without giving links.

[James92se]

http://www.nba.com/fedex/eng/nowitzki.html