Feuding Nowitzki, Wade ignore one another

[dirt_dobber]

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/ba...s/16732507.htm

LAS VEGAS -- Potentially the tensest moment of Sunday's All-Star Game never materialized.

Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade didn't greet one another as the Western and Eastern Conference starters met at Thomas & Mack Center midcourt circle just before the opening tip.

Each bumped fists and man-hugged with just about every starter out there. Somehow, Nowitzki and Wade missed sharing pleasantries.

Surprised?

Wade criticized Nowitzki's leadership skills, saying, "The reason they [the Mavericks] lost the [NBA] championship [is] because he [Nowitzki] wasn't the leader that he's supposed to be in the closing moments."

The two franchise cornerstones hadn't communicated with each other since, including the first two days of All-Star weekend despite being in the same room on several occasions.

"I don't have nothing against Dirk," Wade said. "Dirk don't have nothing against me. He said something about my team. I said something to back my team. It wasn't personal."

That's a matter for debate. Questioning someone's leadership skills is about as personal as it gets and Nowitzki privately took offense. Not one to forget it, Nowitzki has taken the high road publicly.

"To me, it's over now," he said before the West's 153-132 victory. "There's really nothing to talk about. We both did our talking and I think we're past that now.

"I haven't spoken to him. I haven't seen him. If he were to come up to me, I'd be more than willing to say something about it. But if not, I don't worry about it."

Maybe that chat comes Thursday when the Heat make their only American Airlines Center visit of the regular season.

The Mavs won 99-93 at Miami last month.

Nowitzki's no-brainer

West coach Mike D'Antoni didn't choose Dirk Nowitzki an All-Star starter to earn any brownie points with Mavericks fans.

Not having Steve Nash available made the choice academic.

"I don't mind upsetting anybody in Dallas," said D'Antoni, also the Suns' coach. "I just picked [Nowitzki] because he's playing better than anybody. There could have been a problem if Steve could have played. I probably would have upset some people in Dallas then."

Though his support for Nash is unwavering, D'Antoni said Nowitzki is the MVP favorite over the two-time winner.

"His team is the best right now," D'Antoni said. "You can definitely make that argument, but we'll have to wait until the year is out and see what team ends up best."

The NBA-leading Mavs (44-9) come out of the break leading Phoenix (39-13) by 4 1/2 games. D'Antoni said he isn't sure the Mavs can be caught, especially because they've won 30 of their past 32 games.

"If they would cooperate every once in a while and lose, but they don't lose," he said. "We're not going to catch them if they don't lose. We have to keep Steve healthy, get Kurt Thomas back. And if we catch them, we catch them. If we don't, we'll meet them later."