NBA Finals 2011: Did Dirk Nowitzki Just Have the Most Valuable Playoff Ever?

April 23, 2011 

We could not believe it happened again. 

It was Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals and Dallas just blew a 22-point lead to the Portland Trailblazers.  The Trail Blazers were led back by a star player who basically was playing on one leg and a crowd that could not bring itself to stop cheering no matter what the score was.  We were all thinking and saying the same thing: "Same old Mavs." 

Even though it was five years from the notorious choke job that was the 2006 Finals, the Mavericks still had absolutely no heart, still had a superstar that could only play well in the regular season, still had a coach that was too concerned with philosophy to make logical in-game substitutions and were never even going to come close to winning another playoff series, much less a championship. 

This comeback seemed to define the Dirk era in Dallas: filled with regular-season success yet filled with playoff false hope; filled with spectacular numbers yet still filled with disappearing fourth quarters; filled with quotes from an energetic owner yet still filled with choke jobs by a lethargic team; filled with MVP regular seasons yet still filled with playoff runs that ended quicker than Paris Hilton's singing career. 

When Brandon Roy took over the fourth quarter against the Mavericks on one leg, we knew the old Mavericks had lost their legs in about the third quarter but more painfully, we knew that they lost their heart after the heartbreak that was the 2006 NBA Finals.  We never thought the Mavericks could bounce back from another crippling defeat.  We thought that this was indeed the "same old Mavs."

May 8, 2011

We begin to realize how wrong we were in assuming that this was just the "same old Mavs."  We begin to see that this team has a resiliency and determination that the Mavericks of five years ago or even the 2010 Mavericks just did not have. 

We begin to see the Mavericks become the team that frustrates the other team instead of being the team that always chokes and always loses its composure.  We begin to see that the Mavericks that once had no chemistry at all play together better than any team in the entire NBA. 

We begin to see that Dirk Nowitzki was suddenly developing into one of the most clutch players in the entire NBA, something that we could not have even fathomed as early as two weeks earlier. 

The Mavericks are developing into one of the most likeable and hardest-working teams in America and Nowitzki is redefining his once-ugly playoff legacy with every 30-point outing and every game-winning fadeaway.

It was a nice story that the Mavericks had swept the once-vaunted defending NBA champions.  But could they possibly keep up with the young, athletic, energetic and determined Oklahoma City Thunder? 

May 25, 2011

After one of the most incredible individual performances we had seen from Dirk Nowitzki since, well, the Western Conference semifinals, the Mavericks defeated the Thunder in five games.  The Thunder were supposed to be the more energetic team yet Dallas' constant defensive pressure and fast-breaking threw the Thunder completely off their game. 

Even though the Thunder were young, the Mavericks were wiser and ended up making all of the big plays in crunch time.  The Thunder were supposed to be more determined yet let their egos get in the way of a championship while the Mavericks would have done anything to win every single one of these games. 

Every strength the Thunder had was turned into a weakness by the sudden resilience of the veteran Dallas Mavericks.  Nowitzki continued his historic run through the Western Conference and, because of his effectiveness in the first three rounds, had silenced just about every critic who said he was too soft, too selfish, too quiet or was not clutch enough. 

The only thing missing from the Mavericks' historic playoff run and becoming one of the most beloved teams in recent American sports history was a championship trophy.  And one of the most talented yet dysfunctional teams in recent NBA history in the Miami Heat

June 12, 2011

Another long two weeks pass and the Mavericks finally fulfill the destiny that was not supposed to be fulfilled. 

The team that was not supposed to be able to beat the scrappy Portland Trail Blazers, the team that was supposed to get swept by the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, the team that was supposed to be too old to run with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the team that was supposed to bow down to the legacy of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had just won their first NBA title. 

Dirk Nowitzki was supposed to be the guy that faded away in the clutch, was supposed to have the Tracy McGrady syndrome and be the talented player that never went far in the playoffs and was supposed to be the stereotype that we constantly used against every foreign player that was coming into the NBA. 

Instead Nowitzki transformed himself into the ultimate team player, one of the most clutch players in playoff history, one of the most unguardable players to ever play in the NBA and became one of the few Germans that was loved by almost all Americans.  As the award ceremonies continued, Dirk once again surprised us by adding something else to his Hall of Fame resume: a Finals MVP. 

We were surprised that Nowitzki was the Finals MVP only really because it was, well, Dirk.  Dirk was supposed to be the loveable guy that never came through in the clutch; a guy that was good for 82 of every 86 games every season; a guy that was only good for a new hairstyle just about every season. 

All of the sudden, Nowitzki was the MVP of the Finals in arguably the most competitive and important season of the entire 21st century.  Even more surprising is once we review his numbers, Dirk might not only be the MVP of the 2011 playoffs but he might also be the all-time playoff MVP.

In determining whether Dirk is the all-time playoff MVP, we have to judge him against other strong candidates based on the following criteria:

Who would win the game if we took both of the supposed MVPs out of the game?  Who has the better overall numbers after careful analysis? Who was more important to his team late in the game?  And finally, who was a better team player? 

I will judge Dirk against five of the best playoff performers of all time based on these criteria and we will be able to fairly judge if he really just had the most valuable playoffs ever.

Shaquille O'Neal (2000 Finals MVP)

Who Would Win if We Took Both MVPs out of the Game?

The 2000 Lakers were capable of winning a lot of games even if they did not have Shaquille O'Neal (they would at least be a playoff team capable of making a deep run in the Western Conference) and the Mavericks would probably be picking after Cleveland if it was not for the play of Nowitzki. 

I think the 2000 Lakers would easily be able to beat the 2011 Mavericks because they still had Kobe Bryant playing arguably the best basketball of his career and the Mavericks have no star players besides Dirk.  I think this would probably be a sweep. 

Advantage: Dirk

Who Has the Better Overall Numbers?

I think this one easily goes to Shaquille O'Neal.  The Big Diesel was at the peak of his powers in the 2000 regular season and playoffs and put up some absolutely absurd numbers during the playoffs and the Finals.  O'Neal's 2000 season was one of the most productive in the history of the NBA so we have to give him the advantage here. 

Advantage: Shaq

Who Was More Important to His Team in Crunch Time?

Dirk kind of wins this one by default.  The Mavericks had a lot of close games this year that the 2000 Lakers simply did not have because, basically, they were such a juggernaut that they were beating teams by 30 points a game.

When the Lakers did face some trouble though, many teams would foul O'Neal and often times he would miss those key free throws.  So based on limited evidence, Dirk gets the nod in crunch time over Shaq. 

Advantage: Dirk

Who Was the Better Team Player?

I think a big advantage here goes to Nowitzki.  Dirk was humble enough to sacrifice numbers as long as it resulted in his team winning.  On the other hand, 2000 Shaq would often demand the ball even if he was hurting his team by just getting to the free-throw line. I think it is pretty safe to say that Dirk Nowitzki would never have intentionally hurt his team just to satisfy his personal ego, and that is why we will give the advantage to Dirk here. 

Advantage: Dirk

Overall Winner: Dirk

Magic Johnson (1987 Finals MVP)

Who Would Win if We Took Both MVPs out of the Game?

This one is closer than we think but I think Magic's Lakers would win.  Without Dirk ,the Mavericks would not even be able to guard an old Kareem (we are assuming that for this one-time hypothetical event that he would be healthy).  James Worthy and Mychal Thompson would make it nearly impossible for the Mavericks to get easy baskets. 

I just think that the Mavericks would not be able to get anything going offensively against the 1987 Lakers and that is why the Lakers would probably win. 

Advantage: Dirk

Who Has the Better Overall Numbers?

When you look at Magic Johnson's numbers, it brings up a few important thoughts.

The first thing you think is that this is the most versatile player that has ever played; the second is that you start to think that LeBron James should not even be compared to him; and the third thing you think is that it is a damn shame that his career had to end so prematurely.

I am going to give Magic an edge here because he basically averaged a triple-double (something that Dirk rarely comes close to) while still running his offense.  While Dirk's numbers are incredible, Johnson's are almost transcendent.

Advantage: Magic

Who Was More Important to His Team in Crunch Time?

I will controversially give the advantage to Nowitzki in this category.  While Magic Johnson's hook shot against the Celtics has been basically showed ad nauseum (and rightfully so), I think Dirk came up in the clutch more often. 

Part of this is due to Magic having a little more talent around him and being more of a distributor, but part of it is also that Dirk was absolutely on fire in the fourth quarter of these playoffs.  If this comes down to "Who would you rather have in the clutch: 2011 Dirk or 1987 Magic?" I would probably go with Nowitzki because he just hit clutch shot after clutch shot in these playoffs. 

All you really have to do is ask the 2011 Lakers. 

Advantage: Dirk

Who Was the Better Team Player?

This is an extremely tough question to answer. 

We have video proof of Magic Johnson suddenly turning into a dominant center because his team was decimated by injuries and needed him to play that position.  We have video evidence of Magic Johnson making some of the most spectacular passes in NBA history just to get his teammates rolling.  We have proof that the most important thing to Magic Johnson was winning and then came numbers. 

But I also think that if the Mavericks for some reason needed Dirk to play point guard, he would play it.  I think that if the Mavericks needed Dirk to make crazy passes to get his teammates going, he would find a way to break an assists record.  I also think that Nowitzki obsessed over winning unlike any player we have seen since Jordan. 

So for all of these reasons, we will say this is even. 

Advantage: Even

Overall Winner: Dirk

Bill Walton (1977 Finals MVP)

Who Would Win if We Took Both MVPs out of the Game?

Both of these guys carried a bunch of role players to a championship.  This being said, I think the 34 years that have passed between now and the 1977 Finals give the Mavericks a clear advantage here.  The guys these days are just so much more athletic (due to the advances in technology and advances in scouting) that I think the Mavericks would have a lot of different types of players that the Blazers simply would not have. 

They are probably close statistically but not even close in talent athletically. 

Advantage: Walton

Who Has the Better Overall Numbers?

I think Dirk has a slight advantage here.  Nowitizki's ability to put up loads of points against better competition than Walton was playing has to be factored in.  While Walton did a lot of "little things" right in the prime of his career, he never really had the scoring ability and the shooting touch that Nowitzki has had throughout his storied career. 

An argument can be made for Walton's awesome rebounding (19 per game) but a counter-argument to this can be that no one in the league came even close to Walton's size (just in rare cases) while seven-footers are now coming to the NBA in almost an assembly line. 

So for his scoring and shooting percentages, Dirk gets a slight advantage here.  

Advantage: Dirk

Who Was More Important to His Team in Crunch Time?

Even though Walton was known for doing the little things just about perfectly at the end of games (outlet passes, bounce passes, offensive rebounds, blocking shots and steals), he did not have the career-defining moments that Nowitzki had in this postseason.

If Walton would have had a couple more huge shots go down at the end of games in the 1977 playoffs, then I think you could make more of an argument for him here.  But I still think Dirk gets a slight advantage.   

Advantage: Dirk

Who Was the Better Team Player?

Walton's 1977 postseason and Dirk's 2011 postseason both served as textbook definitions of how to sacrifice for the betterment of the team.  No one really grasped the importance of team chemistry and teamwork like the 1977 version of Walton until the 2011 version of Dirk Nowitzki. 

Both of these guys put the team ahead of themselves and that is why their teams overachieved and won championships. 

Advantage: Even

Overall Winner: Dirk

Wilt Chamberlain (1972 Finals MVP)

Who Would Win if We Took Both MVPs out of the Game?

The 1972 Lakers were one of the most stacked teams of all time and I guess they just had to give the MVP to someone.  The team was filled with many legends: Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich and even Pat Riley "before the slick." 

It is amazing to think how talented some of these teams back in the 1970s and the 1980s are.  I think a team with a core of Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Gail Goodrich could easily cruise past a team with a supporting cast featuring someone with the nickname of "The Custodian."

Advantage: Dirk

Who Has the Better Overall Numbers?

Looking at Wilt's statistics over his career is almost humbling.  The man set all kinds of records in just about every major statistical category.  The 50-point games happened for Wilt almost as often as orgies happened for Wilt. 

But the 1972 Wilt was honestly trying to help his team win a title and not pile up crazy statistics.  All of that being said, Dirk's stats are still a lot better. 

Advantage: Dirk

Who Was More Important to His Team in Crunch Time?

A lot of people really do not remember that Wilt was really not that clutch of a player at all.  He was the 1960s and 1970s version of LeBron: He just stood in the corner and waited for someone else to take over. 

Also he had this weird thing where he did not play aggressively because he wanted to keep his streak of not fouling out going (this is almost as weird as when in his book he admitted to going through a stage where he only had sex with midgets).

So it is pretty safe to say that Dirk is the more clutch player on the court even if Wilt might have been better with German girls.  

Advantage: Dirk

Who Was the Better Team Player?

Never ask me this question again. 

Advantage: Dirk

Overall Winner: Dirk

Michael Jordan (1996 NBA FINALS MVP)

Who Would Win if We Took Both MVPs out of the Game?

A lot of time we romanticize Michael Jordan's accomplishments to the point where we make it sound like he basically played every game one-on-five and never really had a supporting cast.  This could not be further from the truth. 

The truth is that Jordan had a top-30 all-time player (Scottie Pippen) and the perfect assortment of role players.  In fact, the two years Jordan took off for baseball the Bulls were still able to make decent runs in the playoffs. 

I can say pretty confidently that I do not think the Mavericks would even come close to the playoffs without Nowitzki.  That is why Dirk gets the advantage over Jordan here (blasphemy!).

Advantage: Dirk

Who Has the Better Overall Numbers?

Michael Jordan's 1996 numbers were absolutely fantastic but were not as impressive as they were in his other five championship runs.  That being said, they are still comparable to Dirk's numbers in this 2011 run.  Since the numbers are so even, we will say Dirk and Mike are even in this category.

Advantage: Even

Who Was More Important to His Team in Crunch Time?

In the last five seconds of any game there is no player I want on my team more than Air Jordan.  He defined clutch and throughout his career was constantly attempting to redefine it.  He nailed just about every big shot in his career, no matter how sick he was, no matter what players were on the floor and no matter what obstacles were placed in front of him. 

That being said, Dirk gave me this exact same feeling throughout these 2011 playoffs.  And for that reason we have to say it is even. 

Advantage: Even

Who Was the Better Team Player?

Both of them were great team players in these respective seasons. I do not want to slip any further into blasphemy.   

Advantage: Even

Overall Winner: Dirk

On April 23, 2011, we thought of Dirk as a notorious choker, a player that could not win the big game, a guy who was not a team player and someone who we would not even want on our own team. 

On June 13, 2011 it is safe to say we can think of Dirk Nowitzki as someone who just had the most valuable playoffs in NBA history.