Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki starts late and steals the show on Wednesday - NBA Update
Dirk Nowitzki was at his scintillating best on Wednesday night. He played 96 minutes in back to back overtime loses. Normally a player would be struggling on court with fatigue but Dirk sent the crowd into frenzy by scoring 21
of his 35 points in the 4th stanza. He rallied Dallas Mavericks to a 117-110 victory against Houston Rockets.
For a moment it seemed like Nowitzki is playing for a playoff game in the 4th quarter, he connected all of his 11 shots from the free throw line and was 4-for-6 from the floor allowing Mavs to convert a 6 point deficit
into 7 points victory.
"The first half I was a step slow. Then I got going. The guys kept us in it," Nowitzki said. “I got some good looks and got into the game."
To achieve such a milestone he was fully supported by his time after the half time. They devised their game plan around their forward. They provided him with the ball inside the key by running effective pick and rolls. Vice Carter
and Jason Terry were his partners in crime as they netted 23 and 19 points respectively. Baffling Rockets and diverting their attention providing Nowitzki with the necessary room to seal the deal.
This is a remarkable transition for a player who took 4 games off early this season due to injured knee. Moreover the NBA lockout that kept on dragging on and on, and by the time the owners and union came to an agreement the players
were out of shape. As the training camp started late and lasted for only 2 weeks.
So what Nowitzki called a rough start to the season is finally over. The 7 ‘’ forward recalled the early scenario.
“Like I said, everything got pushed back, not knowing what's going to happen with the lockout,'' Nowitzki said. “Then I came here and my legs weren't as strong as they needed to be, I battled some swelling there for probably the
first month or six weeks”.
The forward played in 61 of 65 games and averaged 21.6 points, 6.8 rebound and 2.2 assists.
With his efforts throughout the season Mavs managed to secure the 7th berth in Western Conference with 36 wins and 29 loses. They can move up if Denver Nuggets lose their last two games against OKC and Minnesota Timberwolves.
So if they ascend to the 6th spot they will meet Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the post season game. While with their current standing they will be competing against OKC in the 1st round of playoffs.
After delivering his best Nowitzki is ready for any kind of challenge.
“I still think the West is wide open,'' Nowitzki said. “There are a lot of tough teams, like I said the Spurs and OKC will be tough and the Lakers are going to be tough with the Big Three”.
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