Dirk Nowitzki showed up to Dallas Mavericks training camp several weeks ago in full surfer-dude mode.
Sporting a beard straight out of the Geico caveman commercials, the longest hair of his career, and a lighter frame, the German seven-footer looked ready to catch a wave.
More important to head coach Rick Carlisle, owner Mark Cuban and the fans, Nowitzki appeared to have shed some emotional weight, too.
He found out this summer the woman he once planned to marry, the partner with whom he wanted to father children, was a fraud.
While it would not be advisable for the music director at American Airlines Center to play “Billie Jean” at Mavs home games, Nowitzki seems to have put the Cristal Taylor nightmare behind him.
Carlisle can only hope his star forward has done the same with those memories of playoff futility.
Blowing a 2-0 NBA Finals lead, then losing in the first round in consecutive seasons is a real psyche killer.
If Nowitzki’s goofy, carefree look is an indicator of his mental health, the rest of the Western Conference should not dismiss the explosive Mavericks as average road kill.
Nothing will dictate the Mavericks’ fate better than the demeanor of the franchise’s foundation.
News that someone you thought you knew and loved has been arrested on 2006 theft of services charges and a 12-year-old probation violation (and imprisoned) is never easy to take.
Cuban told the Dallas Morning News that word of Taylor’s indiscretions broke near the tail end of the first-round win over the Spurs.
That means Nowitzki averaged nearly 30 points against the Nuggets whilst dealing with instability and shock in his personal life.
Maybe he isn’t the Euro softie so many believe him to be.
To shoot that well against a Denver defense designed to frustrate opponents via physicality and hard fouls takes toughness, and the Mavericks will need a lot of more of it if they hope to survive an improved Western Conference, not to mention any of their meetings with the defending champion Lakers.
The 2006 choke job has shaped Nowitzki’s disappear-in-big-moments reputation. Undeserved and fallible as that characterization is, it has influenced how most view the Mavericks’ prospects, too.
Had Nowitzki drained a few more baskets in Game Three or the infamous Game Five in Miami, we might be talking about the Mavericks as former champions.
Joke of a referee Bennett Salvatore also played an unfortunate and downright cruel role in the Heat’s series-turning victory.
Championship pedigree means a lot, and it’s why most expect the Spurs to go a lot farther in the playoffs, even though the Mavs beat them convincingly in a five-game, opening round set mere months ago.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Dallas Mavericks articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
6 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete