Video: Doc Rivers Calls Timeout to Let Clippers Fans Give Dirk Nowitzki Ovation

If Monday night's game marked Dirk Nowitzki's final outing at Staples Center, Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to salute the Dallas Mavericks legend.

As the Clippers dribbled out a 121-112 victory, Rivers called a timeout with 9.4 seconds to play. He then grabbed a microphone from the public address announcer and urged fans to show the visiting star some love in what could be his final trip to town:

"That was just, we had a lead, and I had a timeout," Rivers said after the game. "Honestly, I didn't plan it. I just felt like he deserved that. You know what's funny, was it Miami? I thought we didn't give [Dwyane] Wade, like it was a close game, and I think they won the game, and Wade played like he should play five more years—so I wasn't going to let that happen again. I just did it."

Nowitzki felt honored, saying: "It was sweet. I'm really appreciative. At first, I was like, 'Why is Doc calling a timeout? What's he doing with [9.4] seconds left? What's he up to?' Then he grabbed the mic. I didn't really understand much, but that was really humbling. That was an emotional moment."

Mavs owner Mark Cuban also appreciated the classy gesture:

The 40-year-old Nowitzki has not committed to retirement just yet. During the All-Star break earlier this month, he said that he wanted to see how his body felt down the stretch before he decided if he would return for a 22nd season.

"The fans have shown me a lot of love already on the road, even though I obviously haven't announced that this is going to be it," Nowitzki told reporters. "I want to see how my body feels the last couple of weeks. If I get to see any improvement, if it's still fun, and I guess we're going to make that decision later."

Cuban told 105.3 The Fan earlier this month that this season has felt like a goodbye tour for his longtime star. However, he made it clear that Nowitzki can do whatever he wants, as the 2011 NBA Finals MVP has "earned" that right.