Dirk Nowitzki is the leading MVP candidate for 2006-07... apparently!?!@# You can't be serious.. Yea, his team won a shitload of games during the regular season, but.. c'mon - did you guys watch the same player I watched in last year's Finals & in this year's embarrassment in the first round of the Playoffs? Biggest game of his season thus far, here's his line - 2-13 FG, 0-6 3-pt FG, 8 pts. 2 for 13? Hmm... when did I see those types of numbers last.. Blue Edwards or Greg Anthony circa the Grizzlies' brief expansion tenure in Vancouver?
But seriously.. aside from the issues I have with Nowitzki's style/flair (or lack there of), I can't really say this is the type of basketball player I'd want to build my franchise around. Allen Iverson's been on a decent team & come close to winning once - just once, in his 10+ year career in the NBA. Yet, every time I watch him play, its the same player crashing around in the lane, getting hit multiple times per drive by players twice the size of him - and he NEVER seems to get discouraged.. When the media gets on AI's case, he responds with big games and ever tougher play. Off the court, he might be a distraction at times, but on the court I don't think any of his teammates have EVER not been led by him.. coz in the end, all you can really ask of each other is to try your hardest, and do the best you can.
Dirk's been on a bunch of really deep & talented teams now, over the past few years.. but has he ever really been a leader? Leaders don't miss 2 free-throws late in a game to let the other team come back from a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals. Better yet, from earlier tonight's action, leaders don't stand around brushing hair back, chewing on mouthguards, and looking generally lost on the basketball court. He might be the best-shooting big man the NBA's ever seen, with a rare combination of size & dexterity - but why wasn't he able to step up against players 4, 5 and 6 inches shorter than him AT ALL? Then when he gets criticized, even the slightest bit, he crumbles even more and gets defensive about his play.. Does he think he's supposed to be a role player on that team?! 21 year old Andris Biedrins had a bigger game than Dirk did - while taking half the shots.. and yes, Biedrins IS the prototype role player who hustles, rebounds and plays defense without ever letting his ego come into the picture. Uhh.. Dirk?
I really hope the North American press that gets to vote on this makes the right decision.. Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns won a few less games than the Mavericks, but the impact he leaves on each & EVERY game deserves to be noticed at least once more as the league's Most Valuable Player.. MV3 indeed - he's probably inspired a new generation of tomorrow's point guards to play with a whole new level of daring & confidence in their respective teammates.. I know just about any basketball player, on any level, from amateur to professional, would love to have a floor general like Nash dictating the pace of the game, and distributing the ball to the right people at the right times & places for the rest of the team to make the right plays.
About the Dallas team itself, I remember that, coming into this season, insiders in the franchise were openly saying "This is a much better team than last year, therefore you'll see us in the Finals." They added (read: BOUGHT) defensive stalwarts Greg Buckner & Devean George specifically to counter the fast-paced attacks of teams like Phoenix - but did they see any of that actually coming into play? On paper, their "pieces" fit together better than just about any team in the history of the NBA. Positions 1-thru-5, everything was covered and then some. What they lack is the heart & soul, the players whose love for the game serves as a glue of sorts for the rest of the team. Come to think of it, I actually think Dallas' most assertive on-court leader might be a diminutive streak-shooter who puts his arms over his head and "wooosh"-es back down the court running like an idiotic plane each time he makes a play.. C'mon now, respect your elders Jason Terry - "The Jet" already belongs to Kenny Smith, who won multiple championships with the Houston Rockets by being that "glue" to Olajuwon's paper.. For back-to-back years, he simply ran the offense through The Dream, hit his outside 3s, and played solid team defense.. How could you swagger-jack that nickname from him? Especially for a largely unproven player? Pfffft.
Anyways, my original point with all this is, I'll take heart & soul over talent & ability any day of the week - and that applies to absolutely everything in life. Ability can be taught, heart & soul can't be lost.. Just ask Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman, Udonis Haslem, or any other number of undrafted big men that went on to create lasting legacies by helping their teams win championships despite being the LAST option on offense on each of their respective teams.
Oh well. History was made, and the 8-seed WIPED OUT the 1-seed in dramatic fashion.. thanks to Mark Cuban's antics and Coach Avery Johnson's general arrogance, I don't think anybody outside of the locals in Dallas is really feeling sorry for this team, either.. Karma anyone?
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