Andrea Can Also Be A Manly Name
When I turned on the Mavs-Raps game Sunday afternoon, Dirk had the ball at the elbow with Andrea Bargnani guarding him. Dirk made one of his usual shimmy-shakes to lose the kid and hoisted up a shot but Il Mago got up and swatted it away. The two spent the rest of the game going at each other. Dirk was really getting in to it, making those ugly stick-out-your-tongue faces at the Raps’ bench, especially when he posterized Bargnani with a monster two-handed jam. Andrea took a few bad shots and Dirk definitely won the battle but there were more similarities than differences between the 7-foot Euros. Bargnani is getting recognized occasionally, especially by coaches and scouts, but he’s being slept on by a lot of NBA fans. No, the kid’s not a superstar but he’s showing brilliant flashes on a nightly basis. He’s a natural when it comes to passing, shooting and driving. His ability to block shots and defend players on the perimieter and inside has already improved a lot. I can’t count how many times he’s brought me out of my seat (check the vid). Only 3 months in to his career, people should start to see the potential this kid possesses. Dirk sure does:
“He’s a better player than when I was 19 or 20,” Nowitzki said of the 21-year-old Bargnani. “He’s going to be a heck of a player. He’s a little more athletic than I even was back then. He can drive a little better than me.”
Dallas 97, Toronto 96 [Yahoo! Sports]
Comments (2)I’m Dirk Burgundy?
You stay classy, Dallas.
Behind The Scenes With Ben & Skin [YouTube] (thx B. Harvey)
Comments (2)A Letter To Dirk…
Dear Mr. Nowitzki,
Next time, wipe my ass down.
Sincerely,
Stationary Bicycle
[Gif credit: ‘Howie’ from NBA Basketball and Other Unrelatedness via YAYsports!]
Comments (4)Germany, Dirk, Beer & Nash
Toronto Star reporter Chris Young may be busy in Germany drinking beer covering the World Cup, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t find time to check in on Deutschland’s favourite 7-footer:
Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks tipped off the NBA Finals in the hour of the wolf time zone of 3:15 a.m. here this morning, and it made for some strange Mundial-defying moments:
Jorg and Helga Nowitzki were set to stay up all night, as they have for every one of their son’s games this playoff tournament, Dirk’s mom frequently leaving because she gets too nervous. “She went to bed at halftime of the game on Saturday night, she couldn’t take it,” said 63-year-old Herr Nowitzki, sitting in his office in neighbouring Gerbrunn. “Then she came in with a minute left and they were up by four points, and she’s all mad, ‘Why didn’t you wake me?’”
Damn! 3:15? And here I was whining about a 9 p.m. tip…
But the best part of the piece, by far, is this little gem concerning Dirk’s guitar pal, Steve Nash:
With the World Cup coming to Germany — although Ghana is training in Wurzburg, no games will be played here — the elder Nowitzki wouldn’t be surprised to see Nash, an avid fan, show up to catch some of the action.
“He always stays here. Five years ago he was over and there was a beer festival,” recalled Jorg Nowitzki. “Germans can drink beer — but Canadians! I think he drank about seven litres. He was boiled!”
Nowitzki Germany’s Latest Hero [TheStar.com]
Nash & Nowitzki, Guitar Pals [The Basketball Jones]
Mavs, Heat & TBJ Predictions
Dirk: Hey Jet, you ready to rock ‘n roll?
Jason: Heck, let’s get it.
Dirk: ‘Cuz I’m ready to rock. I’m– I’m ready to fire it up.
Jason: Light it up!
For the first time in a long time, there seems to be no consensus favori– blah, blah, blah– Mavs in 6.
Look, anything I could possibly say about this series has already been said ad nauseam, so I’ll just spare my keyboard the workout and keep this simple.
The Mavs have three things: home-court advantage, a coach who’s shown he can make the necessary adjustments, and a deep bench. I’m confident all three of these factors will play a key part in Stern having to hand good ol’ Larry over to Cuban.
But honestly, the real reason I’m backing the Mavs is because of Dirk. Now I know it sounds crazy – and dang, what a circus it would be – but I think Dirk just might have it in him to go out and average like a 35-15 this series. Seriously, who on this Heat roster can slow him down, let alone stop him? Udonis Haslem? Pleeeeease…
Dirk’s game right now is just head and shoulders (and hair) above the rest. Over the past 6 weeks we’ve watched him go from star (Griz, game-winner), to superstar (Spurs, foul and the throw), to super-duper-star (Suns, cool fifty and the game 6 comeback). Yeah, it’s pretty obvious Dirk has seen the bar, made the jump, and is clearing that shit like some type of freaky German gazelle.
Mavs in 6. Fire it up, Dirk. Fire it up.
– Skeets
Shaq: Can. You. Dig it!?
Forget about the match-ups. Forget about the tempo.
Sometimes this game comes down to will. The winner of this evenly matched series will be the one that is ready to own these games – the team that battles every last second of every last play because they understand the urgency they need to play with in order to win.
Miami is more ready for this series because of their experience. You could see it last week in two very different post game celebrations. The Mavericks were ecstatic – jumping around as if they’d won the entire thing. In Miami, the Heat were much more low key. They truly know they have more work to do while I can’t help but think that the Mavs are just a little too happy to get this far.
I know ‘The Little General’ is exactly that – a very influential leader that can keep his team focused – but on the other side of the floor is a man in his 9th NBA Finals as a Head Coach. However, in the end, a basketball game is won by its players. That’s why it’s even more important that the Heat are led by hungry players who know this opportunity is precious. ‘The Big Diesel’ is desperate to build his legacy and win his 1st ring without Kobe. Payton and Mourning know this may be their last shot. These men will instill their tooth and nail attitude needed to win the championship upon veterans like Walker, Posey and Williams to go along with the grit of Wade and Haslem. In big D, no Maverick has ever played significant minutes in the final round.
The Finals are a different animal. When the Mavs step on the floor for game 1, it will not feel like any other home game they’ve played this playoff.
As the Mavs eyes widen while they soak in the surroundings, the Heat will squint hard and go to work for something they’ve all been waiting for.
– Tas
[Record a Message for the NBA Finals Shows]
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Can I Get A Nowitzness?
50 points.
I mean, that’s all I need to say, no?
Oh, no? You want a little more, eh? Umm… ok, here; I’ll throw this in too:
Dirk Novitzki, the German Wunderkind der Dallas Mavericks. Der coolste Nicht-Ami in der NBA, ohne den wir vermutlich gar nicht wüssten, dass es Basketball überhaupt gibt.
There. That should do it.
Keep Your Hands Off Your Dirk [True Hoop]
Is It Good To be Dirk Nowitzki? [Deadspin]
Dirk Rolls Two Quarters, Suns [ESPN — Daily Dime]
Dirk Nowitzki, NBA-Profi … [Karikaturen von Sportlern]
Nash & Nowitzki, Guitar Pals
Oh God, please tell me “Simon” is this guy…
Steve and Dirk Singing [YouTube]
(Update: “Simon” is actually Simon Ibell — a high school friend of Nash. Big thanks to Lex for the heads up.)
Comments (9)About
The Basketball Jones is a NBA blog and podcast, written and recorded five times a week by J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas and Jason Doyle. Comments, questions and cold hard cash are always welcome and much appreciated. Contact us.
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