Dirk Nowitzki is the 2nd best player in the NBA and here are the reasons...

Career Playoffs:

Dirk Nowitzki - 25.5 PPG, 11 RPG, 2.6 APG, 45.4 FG%, 88 FT%, 2.1 TO
Kobe Bryant - 25 PPG, 5 RPG, 4.7 APG, 44.7 FG%, 81 FT%, 2.9 TO


This season Playoffs:

28 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3 APG, 48.1 FG%, 97.1 FT%, 1.5 TO



I am sick and tired of people placing Dirk beneath players like Wade or Melo just because they are highlight reels waiting to happen because of athleticism when they both lack Dirk's skills and greatness.


Look at all the superstars that this league has to offer:


Now look at them that were champions:

Tim Duncan - I love Tim Duncan he's the man, but he has had Manu and Tony to take a lot of the pressure off of him in big pressure situations. TD has always delivered, but he has had help.

Kobe Bryant - Had Shaq putting up 29 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 2.5 BPG, MVP in all 3 Championships together


Dwyane Wade - Had Shaquille putting up 20 PPG, 10 RPG, 2 BPG. Not to mention that the 2006 NBA Finals was the most controversially called Finals I've ever seen in MIA's favor. But, do you realize that MIA's biggest advantages were Dallas's disadvantage. Marquis Daniels (SG) could not match up to Wade and Dampier (C) is nothing compared to Shaq. No one stopped Dirk in that Finals though and since then Wade has been trucked by Dirk and Dallas. Miami has not won since then. Back to the Finals it's amazing Dallas took them to 6 with all that and the refs bogus calls.


Do you realize that Brendan Haywood right now is probably the greatest C the Mavs had since Dirk's been here? That's pretty bad, but maybe it could have been a little better having him rather than Dampier in the 06 Finals. Heck Haywood has a chance to go down as the greatest C in Mavs history.


Also please tell me the reliable players Dallas has had to be paired up with Dirk? I don't mean the ones who live off of wide open jump shots from Dirk screens and double teams no, I'm talking about the ones who can drive the ball and create their own shot like Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili. I can think of only Steve Nash (4 healthy seasons) and Josh Howard(3 almost healthy seasons)they never got to play together since Nash was traded. Again NO shooting guard or center. Now, name all the teams who have won a championship with no true shooting guard or center that averages nowhere near a double double. Then I want you to tell me who else has lead a team mostly filled with underachievers to the finals and to the playoffs 10 out of 11 (all 50+ wins)seasons with less than what Dirk has had to work with?


DO YOU KNOW THAT DIRK NOWITKI IS 1 OF ONLY 5 Players to average 20/10 in his playoff career. The other 4 are: Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Elgin Baylor, and Bob Pettit {pretty good company to be in no?}


Dirk has also only missed 29 games in 11 seasons:

LeBron has missed 22 games in 7 seasons
Kobe has missed 76 games in 11 of his 14 seasons
Dwyane Wade has missed 102 games in 7 seasons
Carmelo Anthony has missed 60 games in 7 seasons


People say Dirk is not a great defender, but Dirk does not turn the ball over as the franchise player. That is just as important as playing defense to have from your franchise player because it saves your team of the maximum times the opposing team can score on you.

LeBron James - 219 TO'S
Kevin Durant - 217 TO's
Dirk Nowitzki -109 TO's

*Meaning Dirk has saved his team from giving up a maximum of 324 points off TO's in just 60 games compared to James and Durant.


People question his clutchness when Dirk has made 4 gamewinners this season alone. Scored 53 points in the WCF to put his team over the Suns and averaged 38 PPG last season in the series against Denver. And was very clutch against SA in 2007.

Not to mention Dirk Nowitzki has made the most game winners to put his team ahead for good in the final 2 seconds more than any other NBA player since 2005.


Not to mention that Dirk is second in 4th Quarter points in the NBA this season after LeBron James:

James - 7.5 Pts (.463%)
Dirk - 7.2 Pts (.447%) (144-150 FT's) That is (96%)
Anthony - 6.6 Pts
Roy - 6.7 Pts
Landry - 6.4 Pts
Terry - 6.1 Pts (gets most of his points when teams overplay Dirk)
Granger - 5.7 Pts


NOBODY in the NBA can guard Dirk one-on-one, which is why he gets double and triple-teamed in the playoffs. People say Dirk doesn't play defense, yet he has averaged one steal and one block per game over his twelve year career. Dirk is the only player in NBA history to get 150 blocks AND 150 three-pointers in a season, and the only player besides Larry Bird to shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and 90 percent from the line, all while averaging over 24 points per game.

I didn't know Tony was actually Jamaican Man in disguise...

I'm not JM hahahaha, but I gotta give it up to the man {Dirk} who has been disrespected throughout his career and labeled something that he isn't. I will say it now people like Wade have a ring so what? Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade if they both retired now I say Dirk is better and not only that has a better career. Having a ring is great but it doesn't mean that one that does is better than someone who doesn't.

Dirk Nowitzki steps up in the playoffs more so than he does in the regular season and that's just scary. I think he stays in Dallas cause he's a world class guy, but he should leave and become the guy on another team.

Go! SA! And Duncan by the way!!!

SA 2009-2010 Champs!!!! Hopefully Them or Utah!!!

Career Playoffs:

Dirk Nowitzki - 25.5 PPG, 11 RPG, 2.6 APG, 45.4 FG%, 88 FT%, 2.1 TO
Kobe Bryant - 25 PPG, 5 RPG, 4.7 APG, 44.7 FG%, 81 FT%, 2.9 TO

---Dirk was drafted in 98, his first playoffs were in his third year, and all together in his career he has played a total of 97 games in his career, starting all 97 of them. Kobe was drafted in 96 and began his playoff career immediately. He has played 175 total playoff games in his career, starting only 155. Dirk's first two seasons' stats didnt account to these, while Kobe played in the playoffs in every single season, without even starting all the games.

This season Playoffs:

28 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3 APG, 48.1 FG%, 97.1 FT%, 1.5 TO

---Wow, he's averaging those stats over a 4 game span. No need to go ape shit over that. And btw, his team is about to get knocked out.

I am sick and tired of people placing Dirk beneath players like Wade or Melo just because they are highlight reels waiting to happen because of athleticism when they both lack Dirk's skills and greatness.

---A lack of athleticism isn't an excuse, it's a downgrade. And greatness? I don't think either of them lack Dirk's greatness. As Nowitzki has 0 rings/ 1 MVP, Wade has 1 ring/ 0 MVP/ 1 Finals MVP, and Melo has 0 Ring/ 0 MVP/ 0 Finals MVP. Wade and Melo were drafted 6 years after Dirk was btw. And Durant was drafted 3 years ago, lol. And is already in consideration of MVP.


Look at all the superstars that this league has to offer:

---Huh?

Now look at them that were champions:

Tim Duncan - I love Tim Duncan he's the man, but he has had Manu and Tony to take a lot of the pressure off of him in big pressure situations. TD has always delivered, but he has had help.

Kobe Bryant - Had Shaq putting up 29 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 2.5 BPG, MVP in all 3 Championships together


Dwyane Wade - Had Shaquille putting up 20 PPG, 10 RPG, 2 BPG. Not to mention that the 2006 NBA Finals was the most controversially called Finals I've ever seen in MIA's favor. But, do you realize that MIA's biggest advantages were Dallas's disadvantage. Marquis Daniels (SG) could not match up to Wade and Dampier (C) is nothing compared to Shaq. No one stopped Dirk in that Finals though and since then Wade has been trucked by Dirk and Dallas. Miami has not won since then. Back to the Finals it's amazing Dallas took them to 6 with all that and the refs bogus calls.


Do you realize that Brendan Haywood right now is probably the greatest C the Mavs had since Dirk's been here? That's pretty bad, but maybe it could have been a little better having him rather than Dampier in the 06 Finals. Heck Haywood has a chance to go down as the greatest C in Mavs history.


Also please tell me the reliable players Dallas has had to be paired up with Dirk? I don't mean the ones who live off of wide open jump shots from Dirk screens and double teams no, I'm talking about the ones who can drive the ball and create their own shot like Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili. I can think of only Steve Nash (4 healthy seasons) and Josh Howard(3 almost healthy seasons)they never got to play together since Nash was traded. Again NO shooting guard or center. Now, name all the teams who have won a championship with no true shooting guard or center that averages nowhere near a double double. Then I want you to tell me who else has lead a team mostly filled with underachievers to the finals and to the playoffs 10 out of 11 (all 50+ wins)seasons with less than what Dirk has had to work with?

---Now you have Dirk, who's played with Steve Nash and a prime (under-rated) Michael Finley, Josh Howard, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and now even Caron Butler.

DO YOU KNOW THAT DIRK NOWITKI IS 1 OF ONLY 5 Players to average 20/10 in his playoff career. The other 4 are: Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Elgin Baylor, and Bob Pettit {pretty good company to be in no?}

---But did you also know that Wade, Melo, Kobe, LeBron, and even Durant are all SG's/SF's, and it's much easier for a 7 footer to get 10 rebound than a primary scorer to get 10 assists?


Dirk has also only missed 29 games in 11 seasons:

LeBron has missed 22 games in 7 seasons
Kobe has missed 76 games in 11 of his 14 seasons
Dwyane Wade has missed 102 games in 7 seasons
Carmelo Anthony has missed 60 games in 7 seasons

---Whats so special about that? More useless facts.

People say Dirk is not a great defender, but Dirk does not turn the ball over as the franchise player. That is just as important as playing defense to have from your franchise player because it saves your team of the maximum times the opposing team can score on you.

LeBron James - 219 TO'S
Kevin Durant - 217 TO's
Dirk Nowitzki -109 TO's

---James and Durant are as much of ball distributors as drivers as perimeter ball handlers. It's pretty easy to protect the basketball when you're backing a defender down.


*Meaning Dirk has saved his team from giving up a maximum of 324 points off TO's in just 60 games compared to James and Durant.

---Where the hell did 324 come from? Dirk has 100 less TO's than James. And if they scored ON EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION and even if they were ALL 3-POINTERS, that would only save 300 points. With most players averaging below 50% FG, 100 saved pts (2's) and 150 saved pts (3's), and waaaay more 2's there are than 3's, so about 100-120 pts were saved. No, not even close to 324.

People question his clutchness when Dirk has made 4 gamewinners this season alone. Scored 53 points in the WCF to put his team over the Suns and averaged 38 PPG last season in the series against Denver. And was very clutch against SA in 2007.

---Now compare that to Kobe, Melo, and Wade. lmao.


Not to mention Dirk Nowitzki has made the most game winners to put his team ahead for good in the final 2 seconds more than any other NBA player since 2005.

---It's kind of easy to catch a ball, be fouled, and shoot free throws..



Not to mention that Dirk is second in 4th Quarter points in the NBA this season after LeBron James:

James - 7.5 Pts (.463%)
Dirk - 7.2 Pts (.447%) (144-150 FT's) That is (96%)
Anthony - 6.6 Pts
Roy - 6.7 Pts
Landry - 6.4 Pts
Terry - 6.1 Pts (gets most of his points when teams overplay Dirk)
Granger - 5.7 Pts

---Where did you get these stats at? Because I'm pretty sure there are many players who average more than 5.7 pts in the 4th quarter of games.

NOBODY in the NBA can guard Dirk one-on-one, which is why he gets double and triple-teamed in the playoffs. People say Dirk doesn't play defense, yet he has averaged one steal and one block per game over his twelve year career. Dirk is the only player in NBA history to get 150 blocks AND 150 three-pointers in a season, and the only player besides Larry Bird to shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and 90 percent from the line, all while averaging over 24 points per game.

---1 block and 1 steal isn't a lot, at all. Camby and Andersen take him one on one. About 20 ppg vs the Nuggets this season.. And that's from the top of my head, lol.

I need more convincing.

You stated stats. Not results. Dirk isn't the second best player in the league and it's not because he doesn't dunk from the free throw line. Or because he isn't flashy. It's because right now he's Karl Malone. Lots of stats and not much else. Dirk is clutch. Dirk is an avg rebounder. A great shooter. A poor defender. Doesn't pass enough (FYI his almost 3 ast to 2 turnovers a game is pretty much the reason he doesn't pass much), and with playing time and some training my grandmother could get 1 stl per game.

WTF is this bullshit?

Dirk is a shooter and nothing else...
All he does is shoot fadeaways...although he does drive quite a lot for a big man..

He's an average rebounder with poor defense.

He's never led anyteam to a ring..
(And yes...Kobe, Wade and TD has LED their team to the championship)

Look at what he's doing right now in the playoffs..
He has an absolutely stacked team..
He's tearing it up in the stats section but his team is about to get eliminated..

Not the #2 best player caliber stuff to me...

D-Wade has done nothing since he won a ring and again he had Shaq a 20/10 guy that season. Haywood right now is probably the greatest C in Mavericks history and that's not only sad but they never had him back then. He has had a bad team of the years granted and has taken them further than they should but Dirk has taken his team to 50 wins in 10-11 seasons some of those teams like last years team for example no one even thought they'd make the playoffs after the Hornets beat them a year earlier

No one in the NBA could guard Dirk one on one he gets doubled and tripled and his teammates get buckets alone when he gets overplayed, but his teammates have a knack for ABSOLUTELY NOT SHOWING UP IN THE PLAYOFFS. It's continuing this season.
Dirk is the only one that can stop Dirk.

Wade can be contained last season he did not do much in the playoffs and he is the only NBA Champion {I put a huge asterisk after champion} to lose in the first round the following season and was humiliated by the Bulls.

I don't see Wade ever scoring 50 points in an NBA playoff game at a high level like Dirk did against PHX.


Furthermore, it seems to me that SRF and I are the only one's that thought SA was gonna win this series. I said that Nowitzki's teammates were going to fall on him like always they are all playing in spurts except Dirk for the most part of this series. SA is not a 7th seed get that through your heads.

What do you mean D-Wade hasn't done anything since he won the ring?
Yes...he's injury prone...but if I remember correctly he led the league in scoring a year ago...
Dirk was never on a team as bad as Wade has been this past few years....and yet Wade still has one more ring than Dirk..

You think people can guard Lebron, Kobe, Wade, Durant, etc one on one?
c'mon....be real..

And want to list some embarrassing history?
How about Dirk's team (in his MVP season) getting ousted by the Warriors?
Its way worse than Wade's debacle against the Bulls...
Shaq didn't give a shit anymore....and Antoine Walker was on the Heat team...I mean c'mon..

Wade just scored 46 pts.....not far off from 50, Tony...
And this was against the Celtics...a defensive team
Don't give me a stat against a joke of a defensive team like the Suns...

umm ok....you predicted SA to win...but thats because you're rooting for SA to win it all..
And besides....it still doesn't negate the fact that the Mavs still have a better roster than the Spurs right now...

I was never too much into records when it comes to the playoffs especially when both teams are separated by just a few games.

http://www.vidoemo.com/yvideo.php?i...mavs-spurs...nowitzki

- Against a good defensive team...

Wade is doing just the same against the Celtics. Granted his team sucks, but the Celtics were rather sluggish all season really. I bet Dallas can beat Boston in a series.


Golden State abused the Mavs during the regular season as well they had the confidence they could beat them and had a lot of mismatch problems.

1 of only 5 players to average more than 24/10 in their playoff careers: Dirk, Shaq, Olajuwon, Baylor, Pettit

Dirks never had good players besides howard and nash?

Caron Butler, Jason Kidd, Terry, and michael finley were all pretty good

and you do sound like jamaican man

theres no way in hell dirk's surrounding casts can be compared to miami's surrounding casts. the team d-wade won the ring with was washed out gary payton, washed out jason williams, james posey, udonis haslem, and shaq. if dirk is so great, shouldn't he pick up the load at center? he's 7 foot whatever inches and doesnt play like a true big man at all.

Dirk has had the privilege of playing with all of these players in their prime (age 26-31):

Michael Finley
Steve Nash
Juwan Howard
Nick Van Exel
Antwan Jamison
Antoine Walker
Josh Howard
Jerry Stackhouse
Shawn Marion
Caron Butler

All of these players have one thing in common. They have all been All Stars. That's 10 different players that Dirk has played with (during their primes) that were All Stars. Not to mention playing with:

Devin Harris until the year before he was an All Star
Jason Terry, who has been close to being an All Star and was the reigning 6th man of the year
Jason Kidd, who is still a top 7 or better point guard in the league

And if you really think Haywood is that great, check out his numbers since joining the Mavericks (8/7/2) then compare them to what Dampier has done as the starter. Almost exactly the same. Damp's career numbers are actually better. In Dirk's 1st trip to the playoffs, Bradley was 7/7/3 with just 35 starts that season (he played in 82 games). LaFraentz was 11/7/2 one season. Point is, centers who play with a guy like Dirk in that type of offense, just aren't going to put up big numbers, whether it be points or boards. As good as Haywood has been for the Mavericks recently, other big men have done the same in the past.

Dirk has had an unbelievable amount of talent go in and out of Dallas. Why? He hasn't found a lineup he could win with. With all that talent, especially now (the Mavs are stacked with guys that can get their own points), it's about getting the job done. He isn't, again. He had the most talented team in the league in the league in 2006-2007, and his team flopped. in 2007-2008, his team flopped. In 2008-2009, his team got past a slow, injured Spurs team, only to get owned by the Nuggets. Now, it might happen again. With so many different lineups and players, somewhere down the line, the blame has to fall on the star of the team.

If you look at the All Stars Wade and Melo have gotten to play with in their prime, its Iverson and K-Mart for Melo (thats it). Iverson turned 32 before playing 82 games with Melo, K-Mart has been broken down since joining the nuggets, and Billups was past his prime before he was traded.

Wade has played with just Shaq, who was 32 already when he joined Miami (made all star team during span, so he counts), and Antoine Walker a year AFTER Dirk had him. So, you were saying Tony...

Idk,but he's skilled.I would put him in the Top 5.

Dub C wrote:

Dirk has had the privilege of playing with all of these players in their prime (age 26-31):

Michael Finley
Steve Nash
Juwan Howard
Nick Van Exel
Antwan Jamison
Antoine Walker
Josh Howard
Jerry Stackhouse
Shawn Marion
Caron Butler

All of these players have one thing in common. They have all been All Stars. That's 10 different players that Dirk has played with (during their primes) that were All Stars. Not to mention playing with:

Devin Harris until the year before he was an All Star
Jason Terry, who has been close to being an All Star and was the reigning 6th man of the year
Jason Kidd, who is still a top 7 or better point guard in the league

And if you really think Haywood is that great, check out his numbers since joining the Mavericks (8/7/2) then compare them to what Dampier has done as the starter. Almost exactly the same. Damp's career numbers are actually better. In Dirk's 1st trip to the playoffs, Bradley was 7/7/3 with just 35 starts that season (he played in 82 games). LaFraentz was 11/7/2 one season. Point is, centers who play with a guy like Dirk in that type of offense, just aren't going to put up big numbers, whether it be points or boards. As good as Haywood has been for the Mavericks recently, other big men have done the same in the past.

Dirk has had an unbelievable amount of talent go in and out of Dallas. Why? He hasn't found a lineup he could win with. With all that talent, especially now (the Mavs are stacked with guys that can get their own points), it's about getting the job done. He isn't, again. He had the most talented team in the league in the league in 2006-2007, and his team flopped. in 2007-2008, his team flopped. In 2008-2009, his team got past a slow, injured Spurs team, only to get owned by the Nuggets. Now, it might happen again. With so many different lineups and players, somewhere down the line, the blame has to fall on the star of the team.

If you look at the All Stars Wade and Melo have gotten to play with in their prime, its Iverson and K-Mart for Melo (thats it). Iverson turned 32 before playing 82 games with Melo, K-Mart has been broken down since joining the nuggets, and Billups was past his prime before he was traded.

Wade has played with just Shaq, who was 32 already when he joined Miami (made all star team during span, so he counts), and Antoine Walker a year AFTER Dirk had him. So, you were saying Tony...

2008-2009 NBA Playoffs Semis:

* Dirk Nowitzki outscores Carmelo Anthony's production in every single game of that series both in Total Points & PPG.

Dirk Nowitzki -34.4 PPG, 172 Points, 55/103 (.533 FG%), 11.6 RPG, 57/62 (.919 FT%), 4 APG
Carmelo Anthony - 30 PPG, 150 Points, 52/106 (.490 FG%), 6.8 RPG, 35/41 (.853 FT%), 3.4 APG


Look at that series as the series went along like always Dirk's supporting cast gets the wind knocked right out of them as Dirk continues to go strong. Dirk is a playoffs beast. Melo's supporting cast of players were right there with him.

As for D-Wade Shaq may have had a bad playoffs that season but he still averaged 20/10 that season and still demanded double teams. SG and C were the weakest positions Dallas had against MIA and they took advantage on that. Zo and Payton may have been past their primes but they were primed to finally win a ring and played their asses off and did all the little things. Posey was a top defender and one of the best 6th men back then. Dirk's supporting cast has always had a history of disappearing down the stretch of the playoffs. Not to mention he had 4 healthy years with Nash and 3 healthy years with J-Ho (J-Ho was/is beyond inconsistent).

How do you like dem apples Ryan?


NBA Reference do the math yourself. And not to mention look at Dirk. Just look at his games see how teams try to overplay him and how he still plays out of his mind. Players like D-Wade and Melo seem at times unstoppable but they have been taken out of their games before and contained. Dirk Nowitzki is unguardable only Dirk can stop himself.

tony. look at dirk vs nuggets this season..

Season and playoffs are totally different first of all and if the Mavs would have played the Nuggs in the playoffs they would have a better chance. Dirk Nowitzki does not play like a regular C cause he isn't a regular 7 footer he revolutionized the game for 7 footers, but there is no 7 footer like him ever as of yet. He's like what Magic was to Point Guards or what Pippen/Hill were to SF's. And throw it out the window cause in the playoffs Dirk goes from his career 8.5 RPG to a career playoff average of 10.9 RPG (is that good enough for you coming from a 7 footer?) Again he is only 1 of 5 players in NBA history to average more than 24/10 for their playoff careers. He has hit countless clutch shots in the playoffs and has scored 50+ points in games as big as WCF's.

BTW I said from midway through this season that the Nuggets are not as good this year than they were last year. I respect and admire the Jazz a lot as they are tied @ 2nd with the Spurs as my 2nd favorite teams. But, even if this was not so I would have said UTAH over DEN in the 1st Rd. In fact I called it and would have done so even if I didn't like the Jazz George Karl or no George Karl. Denver has been on/off all season with no real momentum being carried over.

TonyEM: wrote:

Dub C wrote:

Dirk has had the privilege of playing with all of these players in their prime (age 26-31):

Michael Finley
Steve Nash
Juwan Howard
Nick Van Exel
Antwan Jamison
Antoine Walker
Josh Howard
Jerry Stackhouse
Shawn Marion
Caron Butler

All of these players have one thing in common. They have all been All Stars. That's 10 different players that Dirk has played with (during their primes) that were All Stars. Not to mention playing with:

Devin Harris until the year before he was an All Star
Jason Terry, who has been close to being an All Star and was the reigning 6th man of the year
Jason Kidd, who is still a top 7 or better point guard in the league

And if you really think Haywood is that great, check out his numbers since joining the Mavericks (8/7/2) then compare them to what Dampier has done as the starter. Almost exactly the same. Damp's career numbers are actually better. In Dirk's 1st trip to the playoffs, Bradley was 7/7/3 with just 35 starts that season (he played in 82 games). LaFraentz was 11/7/2 one season. Point is, centers who play with a guy like Dirk in that type of offense, just aren't going to put up big numbers, whether it be points or boards. As good as Haywood has been for the Mavericks recently, other big men have done the same in the past.

Dirk has had an unbelievable amount of talent go in and out of Dallas. Why? He hasn't found a lineup he could win with. With all that talent, especially now (the Mavs are stacked with guys that can get their own points), it's about getting the job done. He isn't, again. He had the most talented team in the league in the league in 2006-2007, and his team flopped. in 2007-2008, his team flopped. In 2008-2009, his team got past a slow, injured Spurs team, only to get owned by the Nuggets. Now, it might happen again. With so many different lineups and players, somewhere down the line, the blame has to fall on the star of the team.

If you look at the All Stars Wade and Melo have gotten to play with in their prime, its Iverson and K-Mart for Melo (thats it). Iverson turned 32 before playing 82 games with Melo, K-Mart has been broken down since joining the nuggets, and Billups was past his prime before he was traded.

Wade has played with just Shaq, who was 32 already when he joined Miami (made all star team during span, so he counts), and Antoine Walker a year AFTER Dirk had him. So, you were saying Tony...

2008-2009 NBA Playoffs Semis:

* Dirk Nowitzki outscores Carmelo Anthony's production in every single game of that series both in Total Points & PPG.

Dirk Nowitzki -34.4 PPG, 172 Points, 55/103 (.533 FG%), 11.6 RPG, 57/62 (.919 FT%), 4 APG
Carmelo Anthony - 30 PPG, 150 Points, 52/106 (.490 FG%), 6.8 RPG, 35/41 (.853 FT%), 3.4 APG


Look at that series as the series went along like always Dirk's supporting cast gets the wind knocked right out of them as Dirk continues to go strong. Dirk is a playoffs beast. Melo's supporting cast of players were right there with him.

As for D-Wade Shaq may have had a bad playoffs that season but he still averaged 20/10 that season and still demanded double teams. SG and C were the weakest positions Dallas had against MIA and they took advantage on that. Zo and Payton may have been past their primes but they were primed to finally win a ring and played their asses off and did all the little things. Posey was a top defender and one of the best 6th men back then. Dirk's supporting cast has always had a history of disappearing down the stretch of the playoffs. Not to mention he had 4 healthy years with Nash and 3 healthy years with J-Ho (J-Ho was/is beyond inconsistent).

How do you like dem apples Ryan?


NBA Reference do the math yourself. And not to mention look at Dirk. Just look at his games see how teams try to overplay him and how he still plays out of his mind. Players like D-Wade and Melo seem at times unstoppable but they have been taken out of their games before and contained. Dirk Nowitzki is unguardable only Dirk can stop himself.

Too many different players have gone in and out of Dallas for them not to have done their job in the playoffs. Are you telling me that every single one of the players that has been brought to Dallas is a playoff choker? Or is there something else that just doesn't get the team focused in the playoffs. Dirk is a great player, but he is a poor leader. What separates him from other players is his inability to keep his team's eye on the prize. There has been a ton of talent on his teams over the years, and his teams keep coming up short. WITH DIFFERENT ROSTERS. The only steady thing has been Dirk. Somewhere down the line, after trying that many different puzzle pieces, the blame goes on the star, and not the teammates.

Steve Nash-Dirk Nowitzki - WCF Appearance
JT = Choker
J-Ho = Choker
Butler = Plays in stints but came alive finally
Marion = Has been pretty much regulated
Kidd = Not the same player taking some bad shots getting exposed by likes of Parker.
Harris = Not a winner at all pretty much bad. I see a lot of him in NJ he needs to leave
Stack - Not in his prime when they had him, but still good
Daniels - Not kept when he

Dampier - Sucks doesn't grab the important boards when needed and gets bitched on boards.


Who was the Coach of the Mavs with Dirk, Nash, Finley, and Jamison? That would be Don Nelson. Try going anywhere far with Don Nelson? I'm surprised they made the WCF.


No one has Dirk had that take on their game to a new level in the playoffs and have championship experience.

Who have the Mavs lost to in the playoffs?

2001 - Spurs (1x NBA Champions) in semis
2002 - Kings (Very good back then) in semis
2003 - Spurs (2x NBA Champions) in WCF in 6
2004 - Kings (Still very good) in 1st Rd
2005 - Suns (Much better team than Mavs w. better talent) in semis
2006 - Heat (Highly controversial; team with championship vet exp.) in NBA Finals
2007 - Warriors (GS had a lot of mismatches that Dallas could not overcome)in 1st Rd
2008 - Hornets (Dirk was great, Paul abused Kidd all series long) in 1st Rd.
2009 - Nuggets (Dirk was better than Melo in every stat category and played his heart out)

Melo has not proven to be a playoff leader in his career yet?

D-Wade hasn't proven to be a playoff leader in his career he had 1 great playoff run and won a ring in a great series of his, but when his team has needed him the most he has pulled a lot of stinkers in the playoffs. Should I care to mention?

Durant is having a abysmally bad shooting series. Albeit he is playing smart not forcing things and doing other things that are keeping OKC in the series longer than people thought. But, like I said before this is Westbrook (not Durant's) coming out party (series).


Dirk Nowitzki has scored 50 in the playoffs a lot and is by far a better offensive player than all of these guys in matters of proficiency. If you want to group Dirk in as being at fault. Why don't you fault Melo who has had way more help than Dirk over the years except for Nash and could not take his team passed the 1st Rd. Not to mention Dirk badly outplayed Melo handily in their series in every stat category. And even D-Wade who has had playoff stinkers.

I agree that Dirk is often slept on, but who are you saying is first? because LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Kobe Bryant are all better than Dirk Nowitzki hands down. I've watched or listened to every Mavericks game since 2003.

1. LeBron James


- I think Kobe is on a serious decline
- I don't think Wade is better than Dirk, especially offensively speaking...

i dont think you can compare Dirk to Kobe, wade, and lebron because his game is so different.. same with comparing lebron to kobe and wade.. it just doesnt make sense to me

but I def. do not think dirk is the second best player in the league..

RIGHT NOW, I would even take KD over him

Nenadidas wrote:

i dont think you can compare Dirk to Kobe, wade, and lebron because his game is so different.. same with comparing lebron to kobe and wade.. it just doesnt make sense to me

but I def. do not think dirk is the second best player in the league..

RIGHT NOW, I would even take KD over him

I agree with a lot of that actually as far as Durant goes I don't know he still has a lot more time to go before I can say that. He's having a really crummy series right now as I expected. I thought the key to OKC this series would have to go through Westbrook and for the most part it has. Durant is doing other things and playing smart ball not to jeopardize the young Thunder, but he's shooting atrociously. Dirk is once again having yet another spot on playoff performance.

Durant is just shooting poorly.. but this is his first time in the playoffs and the lakers are playing him well..

Durant hasn't been playing all that well, and has shot badly but you have to remember this is his FIRST playoff series,he's only 21, and he's not only playing against the defending champions, he's being guarded by Ron Artest. One of the toughest defenders in the NBA. He's still chipped his fair share of points and rebounds.

I agree with Nenad. Dirk is not the 2nd best player in the league.

I'm still gonna fly the solo route here and continue thinking he is though cause that's my opinion and I'm sticking by it. I've defended it it's not as if I'm out of the blue saying Dirk is the best then not leaving any rationale as too why I believe this to be so.