For 13 the better portion of his 13 NBA seasons Dirk Nowitzki has heard the comparisons to Larry Bird and others.
Last night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals he placed his own accurately carved niche on display.
Nowitzki put on a performance for the ages as he scored 48 points on 12 of 15 shooting from the floor and an NBA record 24 of 24 free throws made in a 121-112 Mavericks victory over a game Oklahoma City Thunder team that was led by Kevin Durant with 40 points.
From the outset, neither team showed the ill effects of a grueling 7-game series or a significant layoff. The Thunder led by 7 after the first quarter 27-20. In the second quarter the Mavericks shot 61% from the floor while OKC would only make 6 of 20 attempts (30%), the Mavericks made 4 of 7 three-pointers and would outscore the Thunder by 13 and head into the intermission with a 55-48 advantage.
Dirk would go into the half with 21 points on 8 of 9 shooting. Carrying the Thunder was Kevin Durant who was their leading scorer with 17. Jason Terry added 10 for the Mavs. The surprise of the first half was the offensive ineffectiveness of Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook who was 1 for 8 from the floor for a total of 7 points.
Thunder forward Serge Ibaka was assigned to Nowitzki for the most part did a commendable job of defending virtually every shot, but when your assignment is a seven-footer with uncanny shooting ability any defender would be rendered helpless.
In the second half Nowitzki would score 27 points and the Mavericks would lead by as many as 16, but the Thunder would not go quietly as they cut the lead to five with less than five minutes remaining. But the Mavericks just proved to be too much tonight as Jason Terry (24 points) and Jose Juan Barea (21 points) were a huge reason the Mavs bench outscored the OKC’s 53-22.
The Thunder can take heart in the fact that Durant was able to get his shot at will and despite Westbrook’s struggles they hung in this game until the end. This series is by no means over and I would be surprised if the Thunder went out with no resistance a la the Lakers.
Back to Nowitzki, I hear the comparisons to Larry Bird and that’s well and good. At this point in his career, I think it’s safe to say that Nowitzki has carved out his own space in the history of the NBA as it’s greatest shooting big man (Durant has the same capabilities). He and Bird share the common denominator of being great shooters.
And that’s where the comparisons should end.
I predicted the dirks will win the championship. The dirks over the bulls in 6.
Dirk is the closest to larry legend then anyone else I’ve seen he just needs some rings. He’s really opened my eyes this yrs. If it wasn’t for the heat I would say he may have a chance to win a chip but I picked the heat so not gonna happen
He’s a great mid to long range shooter like Larry but that’s it. Bird had 59 career triple doubles to Dirk’s 2. Bird was a glue guy that did the little things that it took to win.