Official Dirk is Great Thread

[GermanDunk]

Congratulations Dirk !

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by dude1394

As I've learned in my many years, greatness requires an almost maniacal focus on hard work. Few get "lucky" in life. Sure some hit the lottery, but greatness never falls in your lap.

The dirkster is a fantastic role model for all. Love ya swish.

The only thing that really makes me doubt what you have to say are cases such as Josh Hamilton.. A guy that's truly an idiot.. doesn't work hard at his craft.. doesn't believe in studying the game.. incapable of making adjustments..

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

The only thing that really makes me doubt what you have to say are cases such as Josh Hamilton.. A guy that's truly an idiot.. doesn't work hard at his craft.. doesn't believe in studying the game.. incapable of making adjustments..

Heh...Baseball isn't rational. And will he actually be a great one? Or just a great few years and got a payday?

I admit to not giving a twit about baseball.

[EricaLubarsky]

Total points (averaging 1,670 per season over his career)

5 Wilt Chamberlain 4,705
6 Shaquille O'Neal 1,882
7 Moses Malone 695
8 Elvin Hayes 599
9 Hakeem Olajuwon 232
10 DIRK NOWITZKI ---
-----------------------------------


Games at current pace (22.5 ppg career) to pass.
-----------possible, but unlikely--------------
5 Wilt Chamberlain 209 games

----------plausible in the 2014-2105 season--------------
6 Shaquille O'Neal 84 games
7 Moses Malone 31 games
8 Elvin Hayes 27 games
9 Hakeem Olajuwon 11 games
10 DIRK NOWITZKI ---

Passed this season - Oscar Robertson, Alex English, Kevin Garnett, Reggie Miller, Dominique Wilkins, John Havlicek, and Jerry West (started the season at 25,051 and at 17th all time.)

Strong (and healthy) push next year and Dirk could end the season in sole possession of 7th all time with a decent chance of passing Shaq early the following season. Of course, that is assuming that we see diminishing returns from him as he gets older, which may not be the case. A stronger team next year may decrease his FGA, however.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Passed this season - Oscar Robertson, Alex English, Kevin Garnett, Reggie Miller, John Havlicek, and Jerry West (started the season at 25,051)

You forgot to mention Dominique Wilkins (Tim McMahon forgot to mention him the other day too - poor Dominique!)

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Total points (averaging 1,670 per season over his career)

5 Wilt Chamberlain 4,705
6 Shaquille O'Neal 1,882
7 Moses Malone 695
8 Elvin Hayes 599
9 Hakeem Olajuwon 232
10 DIRK NOWITZKI ---
-----------------------------------


Games at current pace (22.5 ppg career) to pass.
-----------possible, but unlikely--------------
5 Wilt Chamberlain 209 games

----------plausible in the 2014-2105 season--------------
6 Shaquille O'Neal 84 games
7 Moses Malone 31 games
8 Elvin Hayes 27 games
9 Hakeem Olajuwon 11 games
10 DIRK NOWITZKI ---

Passed this season - Oscar Robertson, Alex English, Kevin Garnett, Reggie Miller, John Havlicek, and Jerry West (started the season at 25,051)

Strong (and healthy) push next year and Dirk could end the season in sole possession of 7th all time with a decent chance of passing Shaq early the following season. Of course, that is assuming that we see diminishing returns from him as he gets older, which may not be the case. A stronger team next year may decrease his FGA, however.

If his points were for some reason cut in half, he'd still pass Shaq in 2 years... So, 6 looks extremely likely. 5 is a possibility.. kinda depends on how long Dirk wants to play and whether or not he's hit with the injury bug.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

The only thing that really makes me doubt what you have to say are cases such as Josh Hamilton.. A guy that's truly an idiot.. doesn't work hard at his craft.. doesn't believe in studying the game.. incapable of making adjustments..

That guy was one of the most extreme talents in the history of sports. There has never been a more talented baseball player than Hamilton. And even with all that talent he was basically was only good for five years.

[ActionJackson]

So many incredible moments. I often think back to 2006 and how good he was during that post season. It still hurts to this day that The Mavs didn't win it that year. So beautiful that they won it against Miami five years later.

But to me Dirk was maybe even better in 2006 than 2011. Of course he was such a true leader and clutch during the championship run. But in 2006 he was aggressive and really pumped. I don't know if you agree, but he was kinda in his own zone in 2011, but in 2006 he celebrated and really showed his emotions.

I actually still think that game 7 against the Spurs was his greatest individual moment. It was such an emotional night for me personally and love to watch every piece of tape there is of that game. On Youtube there is a pretty decent mix of Duncan vs. Dirk in game 7. Such a great moment when he scores that one basket and gets fouled during the first half, 55-36 or something similar. Josh H and Devin were also very pumped and I just loved the celebration when Dirk screams his lungs out after the basket.

There's also one brilliant mix-tape of Dirk called Dirk Nowitzki playoff hero. It features the 2006 play offs. The music and footage is just fantastic. Too bad the poster didn't do one of the championship run.

[CanadianMavsFan]

Originally Posted by ActionJackson

So many incredible moments. I often think back to 2006 and how good he was during that post season. It still hurts to this day that The Mavs didn't win it that year. So beautiful that they won it against Miami five years later.

But to me Dirk was maybe even better in 2006 than 2011. Of course he was such a true leader and clutch during the championship run. But in 2006 he was aggressive and really pumped. I don't know if you agree, but he was kinda in his own zone in 2011, but in 2006 he celebrated and really showed his emotions.

I actually still think that game 7 against the Spurs was his greatest individual moment. It was such an emotional night for me personally and love to watch every piece of tape there is of that game. On Youtube there is a pretty decent mix of Duncan vs. Dirk in game 7. Such a great moment when he scores that one basket and gets fouled during the first half, 55-36 or something similar. Josh H and Devin were also very pumped and I just loved the celebration when Dirk screams his lungs out after the basket.

There's also one brilliant mix-tape of Dirk called Dirk Nowitzki playoff hero. It features the 2006 play offs. The music and footage is just fantastic. Too bad the poster didn't do one of the championship run.

Totally agree about 2006. 2011 was wonderful, and though it was vindication in a way I still feel sick when I think about 2006. The tragic nature of how it concluded obviously contributes to that as well. In interviews Dirk still talks about it, and you better believe he thinks about it every day. It's human nature to remember our greatest failures over the successes (especially when they are shrouded in the controversy of the 2006 Finals).

So happy to see how appreciated he is now though. You'll be hard pressed to find experts who don't shower Dirk with praise, and I find it is usually from the most knowledgeable of writers (Zach Lowe in particular seems to love discussing the big fella).

It will be hard not to shed a tear or two when he hangs them up.

EDIT: Screw it I'm posting it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OmE3B-s8ow

[ActionJackson]

Originally Posted by CanadianMavsFan

So happy to see how appreciated he is now though. You'll be hard pressed to find experts who don't shower Dirk with praise, and I find it is usually from the most knowledgeable of writers (Zach Lowe in particular seems to love discussing the big fella).

It will be hard not to shed a tear or two when he hangs them up.

EDIT: Screw it I'm posting it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OmE3B-s8ow

It's very true that he's very appreciated by those who really understand this great game. Maybe people who just enjoy highlight reels don't quite get how good he really is.

That's also a very good clip. Gotta love those expressions from Terry and Cubes. That Ginobili three was such a kick to the groin. Hopefully people don't forget Stacks overtime jumpers. He had his moments.

It's also quite funny and sad at the same time to think who were playing center and PG during that post season...Damp and JET. And Dirk almost won it with that cast.

[Underdog]

Pop: Dirk 'arguably best pure shooter' ever

DALLAS -- San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, the coach who has faced Dirk Nowitzki the most, pretended not to be impressed by the big German bumping Oscar Robertson out of the top 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

“Well, you shoot it that much, you’re going to pass somebody,” Popovich deadpanned. “He shoots it every time he gets it. Geez, oh whiz!”

The truth is that there’s a massive amount of respect between Popovich and Nowitzki. Popovich, who is notorious for giving brief answers to interview questions that don’t interest him, was extremely elaborative with his praise of Nowitzki after the Spurs’ Thursday shootaround at American Airlines Center in advance of the Spurs-Mavs game Thursday night.

“Ever since he got here day one, when nobody knew who the heck he was except Nellie [then-Mavs coach Don Nelson], he’s done a lot of great things,” Popovich said. “He started out a bit slow until he got used to the deal here and then became Dirk, a Hall of Fame player and somebody who’s arguably the best pure shooter we’ve ever seen.

“And he’s done it with class. He’s showed up every minute that he’s available, plays hard all the time, great teammate. He’s somebody special.”

It was apparent that Nowitzki was special when he went off for 42 points and 18 rebounds in a playoff game against the Spurs as a 22-year-old. The Mavs were eliminated that night, but it was apparent that a superstar had arrived.

One of Nowitzki’s greatest moments of his NBA career came on the Spurs’ home court. His and-1 layup forced overtime in Game 7 of the 2006 West semifinals, a game the Mavs won in large part due to a dominant Dirk performance of 37 points and 15 rebounds.

Production like that demands a certain level of respect, although the Spurs have gotten the best of the Mavs more often than not. But Popovich seems more impressed by Nowitzki’s process, the work ethic displayed by constantly attempting to improve his game over the course of a 16-year career that’s headed for the Hall of Fame.

“He’s obviously got some natural skills and all that kind of thing, but he worked to be the player he is now,” Popovich said. “He’s put in a lot of time.

“He’s done everything. He needed to rebound more and he did. He’s got a myriad of shots. Every year we see new things, whether it’s his fadeaways or his drives or his spins, his pump fakes. Every year he got better in some aspect of the game and worked himself into position offensively where he was impossible to guard. And he’s still pretty much the same thing. So that’s pretty incredible.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maver...weve-ever-seen

Dirk Nowitzki among upper echelon?

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle made the case Thursday with ESPN Radio that star forward Dirk Nowitzki ranks among the 12 greatest players in the game's history.

"I think there's a certain criteria where you can say pretty much for certain that he's one of the top 12 all time," Carlisle said in an interview that will air Thursday night on the "NBA on ESPN Radio" pregame show.

"And that is, there's only been 12 guys that have been 10-time All-Stars, [NBA] Finals MVP and league MVP. So I think that firmly puts him in the top 12. And then getting into the top 10 in all-time scoring validates that even more."

After starting the season in 17th place on the league's all-time scoring list, Nowitzki moved into 10th place Wednesday night -- passing Oscar Robertson -- with 21 points in a victory at Utah. The 35-year-old, in his 16th season, has 26,714 career points and earned Finals MVP honors in 2011 after leading Dallas to the first championship in franchise history four years removed from his MVP regular season in 2007.

The other 11 players in NBA history to reach the benchmarks Carlisle tossed out are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Yet it must be noted that the NBA did not start awarding a Finals MVP trophy until the 1968-69 season, which limited the opportunities for the likes of Bill Russell and Robertson to achieve all three honors.

"He's got a lot more good basketball left in him," Carlisle said of Nowitzki. "A lot more great basketball. So I think he's going to pick off a few more guys going up the ladder.

"And if you look at his career and the way that he has played his game [and] the fact that his game is such a radically different game than any 7-foot-1 guy that we've ever seen, he's been a game-changer. ... He's been a monster in this game and he'll only continue, I think, to gain respect as time continues to go on."

Entering the Mavericks' Thursday night showdown at home with longtime rival San Antonio, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said at the morning shootaround that he regards Nowitzki to be "arguably the best pure shooter we've ever seen."

"He's done it with class," Popovich said. "He's showed up every minute that he's available, plays hard all the time, great teammate. He's somebody special."

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...est-coach-says

[dude1394]

I consider pop the best coach in history. Getting that kind of praise from pop is greatness.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by dude1394

I consider pop the best coach in history. Getting that kind of praise from pop is greatness.

He's definitely gotten more out of "less" than Red, Phil and Pat.

[twelli]

Funny thing is, he could have been the exact same player for his entire career and then he misses a few shots here and there in the finals. Mavs lose to the Heat, again, and Dirk is just forever remembered as one of the greatest players to never win the title, or worse, a choker who couldn't get it done. No one would call him one of the NBA's best 12 players of all time. Could have been different for Malone and Barkley too, they make a few shots more here and there, win a final against Jordan and they would be in the club.

[twelli]

Funny thing is, he could have been the exact same player for his entire career and then he misses a few shots here and there in the finals. Mavs lose to the Heat, again, and Dirk is just forever remembered as one of the greatest players to never win the title, or worse, a choker who couldn't get it done. No one would call him one of the NBA's best 12 players of all time. Could have been different for Malone and Barkley too, they make a few shots more here and there, win a final against Jordan and they would be in the club.

[Murphy3]

I wouldn't take any coach in the league over Popp or Carlisle...

[spreedom]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

I wouldn't take any coach in the league over Popp or Carlisle...

Agreed... I think Pop is the best coach ever, and Carlisle is the second-best coach in the league today.

[dude1394]

..

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Agreed... I think Pop is the best coach ever, and Carlisle is the second-best coach in the league today.

It's tough to rate coaches all time, but Pops is definitely in the top 3.

Carlisle may be top 10-20 all time, but he's top-5 and maybe even top-3 among active coaches.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

I wouldn't take any coach in the league over Popp or Carlisle...

Spoelstra over Carlisle for me, but pop is definitely number 1.

[ActionJackson]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

Spoelstra over Carlisle for me, but pop is definitely number 1.

I don't know about Spoelstra. I still remember his odd moves from the finals.

Just watch the clutch moments from the finals of 2011. What is Spoelstra doing? Practising Riverdance?

Kidd's three 84-90 and Dirk's winning lay up in game 2. Terry's three 100-100, Kidd's three 105-100 and Terry's dagger three in game 5. Just look at his dancing moves on the sideline.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by ActionJackson

I don't know about Spoelstra. I still remember his odd moves from the finals.

Just watch the clutch moments from the finals of 2011. What is Spoelstra doing? Practising Riverdance?

Kidd's three 84-90 and Dirk's winning lay up in game 2. Terry's three 100-100, Kidd's three 105-100 and Terry's dagger three in game 5. Just look at his dancing moves on the sideline.

Carlisle does plenty of odd moves himself. Spo is a great coach

[dude1394]

Back to our regularly scheduled programming. A really neat article about how closely durant is studying the dirkster. I love the open fingers comment that is almost as big a habit as tugging on his jersey.

And this one doesn't hurt his case. He's my favorite player next to the dirkster.

"Dirk, you see, is Durant's favorite player.
"It's probably a tie between him and Kobe," Durant said after giving it some extra thought."

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/b...41&city=dallas

"Kevin Durant has borrowed liberally from the Dirk Nowitzki playbook en route to an MVP season.
All those gaudy numbers. All those wins without Russell Westbrook. All those tweets and "SportsCenter" graphics telling us, over and over, that Kevin Durant's season has been legitimately Jordanesque.

All of that, when you add it all up, is why the ESPN Forecast panel this week proclaimed Durant to be the runaway favorite to win his first Most Valuable Player award without even bothering to wait for voting to close.

All of that is also why you heard LeBron James, through gritted teeth, essentially concede the MVP crown to his foremost rival the other day.

It's the only reasonable conclusion to draw with Durant on the brink of becoming just the fourth player in history -- and the first since His Airness himself 25 years ago -- to average at least 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists for an entire season.

32 PPG, 7 RPG, 5 APG
Single Season, NBA History

1988-89 Michael Jordan
1965-66 Wilt Chamberlain
1963-64 Wilt Chamberlain
1960-61 Elgin Baylor
>> Durant: 32.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.5 APG
With a few key steals quietly mixed in.

It hasn't been discussed much, because Durant doesn't often reveal much beyond what we can all see out on the floor, but he recently confessed that he's been swiping liberally all season from the Dirk Nowitzki playbook."

[Underdog]

^Durant has praised Dirk ever since he came to OKC... It's hard to hate the kid.

[Underdog]

Bill Simmons:

My top five for MVP: (1) Kevin Durant, (2) LeBron James, (3) Blake Griffin, (4) Joakim Noah, (5) Dirk Nowitzki.
.
.
If Dallas wins 50-plus games and makes the playoffs (in play), I’m voting for Dirk — 22 a night, 50-40-90 splits, the crunch-time stuff, the leadership, the intangibles. Other than Jae Crowder, everyone in Dallas’s nine-man rotation had more value four years ago. Right now, Monta Ellis and Vince Carter are overachieving. Think about that. You win 50-plus with THAT team — in the West, no less — and you’re getting my no. 5 spot.

Not sure if I agree with his assessment of Ellis (I think he's truly turned a corner), but Simmons does make a solid point about the rest of the team in relation to Dirk's overall value.

[Melonhead]

^was coming to post this article. Nice to see someone take notice of what Dirk has accomplished this season.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Back to our regularly scheduled programming. A really neat article about how closely durant is studying the dirkster. I love the open fingers comment that is almost as big a habit as tugging on his jersey.

And this one doesn't hurt his case. He's my favorite player next to the dirkster.

"Dirk, you see, is Durant's favorite player.
"It's probably a tie between him and Kobe," Durant said after giving it some extra thought."

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/b...41&city=dallas

"Kevin Durant has borrowed liberally from the Dirk Nowitzki playbook en route to an MVP season.
All those gaudy numbers. All those wins without Russell Westbrook. All those tweets and "SportsCenter" graphics telling us, over and over, that Kevin Durant's season has been legitimately Jordanesque.

All of that, when you add it all up, is why the ESPN Forecast panel this week proclaimed Durant to be the runaway favorite to win his first Most Valuable Player award without even bothering to wait for voting to close.

All of that is also why you heard LeBron James, through gritted teeth, essentially concede the MVP crown to his foremost rival the other day.

It's the only reasonable conclusion to draw with Durant on the brink of becoming just the fourth player in history -- and the first since His Airness himself 25 years ago -- to average at least 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists for an entire season.

32 PPG, 7 RPG, 5 APG
Single Season, NBA History

1988-89 Michael Jordan
1965-66 Wilt Chamberlain
1963-64 Wilt Chamberlain
1960-61 Elgin Baylor
>> Durant: 32.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.5 APG
With a few key steals quietly mixed in.

It hasn't been discussed much, because Durant doesn't often reveal much beyond what we can all see out on the floor, but he recently confessed that he's been swiping liberally all season from the Dirk Nowitzki playbook."

I want to like him because of the ut connection, the fact that he seems like legitimately a good guy and the obvious overwhelming talent but good god all the ref ball makes him hard to like. It's like rooting for a less douchey version of d whistle.

[LonghornDub]

Dirk is the man. Durant is also the man. Love that connection.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Dirk is the man. Durant is also the man. Love that connection.

And how cool is it that the "face of the new NBA" is mirroring his game after our boy from Wurzburg? It's not only flattering, but it's also a testament to how much Dirk has impacted the game of professional basketball.

[twelli]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Back to our regularly scheduled programming. A really neat article about how closely durant is studying the dirkster. I love the open fingers comment that is almost as big a habit as tugging on his jersey.

And this one doesn't hurt his case. He's my favorite player next to the dirkster.

"Dirk, you see, is Durant's favorite player.
"It's probably a tie between him and Kobe," Durant said after giving it some extra thought."

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/b...41&city=dallas

"Kevin Durant has borrowed liberally from the Dirk Nowitzki playbook en route to an MVP season.
All those gaudy numbers. All those wins without Russell Westbrook. All those tweets and "SportsCenter" graphics telling us, over and over, that Kevin Durant's season has been legitimately Jordanesque.

All of that, when you add it all up, is why the ESPN Forecast panel this week proclaimed Durant to be the runaway favorite to win his first Most Valuable Player award without even bothering to wait for voting to close.

All of that is also why you heard LeBron James, through gritted teeth, essentially concede the MVP crown to his foremost rival the other day.

It's the only reasonable conclusion to draw with Durant on the brink of becoming just the fourth player in history -- and the first since His Airness himself 25 years ago -- to average at least 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists for an entire season.

32 PPG, 7 RPG, 5 APG
Single Season, NBA History

1988-89 Michael Jordan
1965-66 Wilt Chamberlain
1963-64 Wilt Chamberlain
1960-61 Elgin Baylor
>> Durant: 32.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.5 APG
With a few key steals quietly mixed in.

It hasn't been discussed much, because Durant doesn't often reveal much beyond what we can all see out on the floor, but he recently confessed that he's been swiping liberally all season from the Dirk Nowitzki playbook."

This from the best player in the NBA right now, that's just great. I guess a lot of players have studied Dirk in secret over the years, but wouldn't admit it. Dirk's a great role model, you can actually learn something from that dude. So many players would be better shooters if they just figured out to shoot high-arc shots like Dirk.

[j0Shi]

Originally Posted by Underdog

And how cool is it that the "face of the new NBA" is mirroring his game after our boy from Wurzburg? It's not only flattering, but it's also a testament to how much Dirk has impacted the game of professional basketball.

May as well add the Brow, assumed to be the next next Superstar behind LeBron and Durant. They want him to learn from Dirk as well.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

May as well add the Brow, assumed to be the next next Superstar behind LeBron and Durant. They want him to learn from Dirk as well.

Joshi, don't tease me paste the link. I want to read it.

[Kante]

Originally Posted by twelli

This from the best player in the NBA right now.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Kante

Pretty serious, it's certainly debate able. I'd seriously look at him over Lebron just for the lack of the prima-Donna presence.

[Kante]

...

[Kante]

LeBron is in his own world and ahead of everyone, including Durant!

And Durant gets 10 FT's on bogus calls per game...

[Budapest Maverick]

It's pretty amazing that we made the playoffs with this seriously flawed roster. Dirk is 6th in adjusted +- this season, which - at almost 36 - is just flat out bonkers.

1 LeBron James
2 Kevin Durant
3 Stephen Curry
4 Chris Paul
5 Kevin Love
6 Dirk Nowitzki
7 DeAndre Jordan
8 Andre Iguodala
9 Blake Griffin
10 LaMarcus Aldridge


The 2nd "oldest" player from that list is 5 years younger than him, but most of those guys are 6 to 11 years younger than Dirk! Just mind-blowing.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Kante

LeBron is in his own world and ahead of everyone, including Durant!

And Durant gets 10 FT's on bogus calls per game...

Hata

[Kante]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Hata

Nope, just saying how it is.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Kante

Nope, just saying how it is.

If you haven't watched how lebron is allowed to bull rush through defenders then you are just turning a blind eye.

Durant gets 2 more fta's/game than lebron. Lebron doesn't get as many calls because he should be getting called for offensive fouls instead.

He's a great player, but yakking about Durant because of what did you say 10 fts' /game on bogus calls. Seeing as how he gets 10 fta's a game period, I say you are full of it.

Hata.

PS:: in other words your "stating how it is" if full of ****.

PPS:: Dammit I hate how I've been drawn offsides by this preson in Dirk's thread. This is the last I'll say about it. Go read this and see that there are actual OTHER OPINIONS about the two players, Including many who say that Durant is much harder to defend than lebron.
http://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments...mes_get_their/