The 2015 Mavs: the Team that Just Wouldn't Die

     Dirk hit a pretty large milestone last night, becoming only the seventh player with 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 1,000 blocks; which means that he is certainly one of the greatest big men to play in the NBA.  He also became the only player in NBA history with all of the above accumulated stats, plus 1,0000 made three pointers; which means that he's probably the most offensively versatile big man ever.  I hate the label that all of the commentators seem to give him, though: "the best shooting big man to play in the NBA."  Yeah, no sh*t.  Who's his only real competition, Patrick Ewing?  His shots may have gone in, but they looked ugly and no one wanted him to shoot them in the first place: they always wanted Ewing to be a bruising, aggressively physical offensive presence.  He always wanted to be a finesse player, which is why he finger-rolled that layup out of the rim in the 1993 series against the Bulls, instead of dunking it like a normal seven-foot tall center.
     But let's be honest, shall we?  Calling someone the "best shooting big man" is sort of like calling someone "the best rebounding point guard" or "the best female NASCAR driver," or "the best SNL cast member between Eddie Murphy and Chris Farley": its a back-handed compliment.  I would submit that Dirk is not just a huge man with a good-for-his size jump-shot; he is, in fact, a great shooter, one of the best in the history of the NBA, regardless of height.  How many 50-40-90 seasons (an entire season shooting 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line, and 90% from the free throw line) does Kobe have?  I'll give you a hint: it rhymes with "Hero" and starts with a letter that every other transplanted British colony pronounces "zed".
   Obviously, Dirk Nowitzki is not a better overall basketball player than Kobe Bryant, but if you wanted to argue that he was a better shooter, there would be some stats to back it up.  My point is, basically, stop belittling how good the man has been and recognize him as one of the best shooters in the history of the game, period; no "big man" qualifiers or asterisks.  But this has been mostly a down year for him, as age and the heavy burden of carrying a mostly-successful-but-still-too-often-somehow-incompetent franchise for the majority of his career begin to finally show in his production.  Which is even sadder when you consider that for the three previous seasons, he may still have been putting up MVP-ish numbers, if the Mavericks had bothered to pass him the ball ever.  Seriously, Vince Carter averaged more shots coming off the bench last season than one of the best players in the NBA, and still the best player on the team.  That no longer seems to be the case, but that's okay: we all have to prepare for the day when our favorite player on our favorite team can no longer shoulder the heavy burden of leading an NBA team, but that doesn't mean we are actually ready to let go (isn't that right, Lakers fans?).

     Which has left the Mavericks in a bit of a quandary this season, what with Monte Ellis and Rajon Rondo meshing about as well as Dale and Brennon; we can only hope that their partnering ends as well as the duo in the movie's did.  And even though the season is nearly over, and the Mavs seem destined for another year finishing in the bottom of the conference, followed by an ignominious first round exit (hello 2007-10!),  I can't seem to give up on this team yet.  I've wanted to; by Pete Maravich's floppy socks, how I've wanted to.  After Friday's loss to Memphis, and the embarrassing loss to the Suns two days later, I was essentially willing to write the season off as another example of why, although you might still be able to make the playoffs every year, you will probably never win a title bringing in 12 new players every season; and by the end of the first half of Tuesday's match-up with the defending Champion San Antonio Spurs, I couldn't help but feel slightly vindicated: while I was sad to see my favorite team losing in such a horrible fashion, I also enjoy being right - especially about basketball.  Then the third quarter happened, and well, I couldn't give up on them quite yet.  That's how the entire season has felt for me, by the way.  Every time I watch them have a terrible game, I can't help but think: "well, they look like a great team on paper but I guess the pieces just don't fit," they've come back within another game or two with a victory that reminds that the 1995 Houston Rockets won their second of back-back NBA titles while not being able to secure one of the top 4 spots in the conference.
    I don't think this Mavs team is going to win the Championship; there are too many warning signs that suggest otherwise.  But I do think the team has the potential, if a few things break the right way: if Monte pulls out of his slump, and Dirk plays strong in the playoffs like he has always done, and especially if Rajon Rondo turns into ROOONDOOOO!!!!!!  You never know, stranger things have happened; and that's what we watch sports for in the first place.  So I'm back in; I'm not giving up on this team again all season, at least not until they get knocked out of the playoffs...then again, they play the Spurs in San Antonio on Friday, and Oklahoma City, Houston, and Golden State next week, so...I mean, I haven't given up on them right now; that should count for something, right?  Yeah, you're right, probably not.