Dirk Nowitzki Sits Down With Marc Stein of ESPN

 

 

 

What’s good Mavs fans? For those who haven’t set aside 41 minutes of your time, I thought I would give you all a quick recap of the conversation between Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki and Marc Stein of ESPN on his TrueHoop podcast. He sat down to discuss the milestone that he is approaching (30,000 points) and even talked about some memories from his 19-year career.

 

Stein: 30,000 points. How do you even process that?

 

Nowitzki: It’s still sort of surreal. It’s been such a long ride. When you struggle like I did at the beginning my first years, there’s doubts creeping in. Are you going to make it? Are you going to make it in this league? Are you good enough. Then 19 years later, you are only the 6th guy to ever do something.

 

Stein: If you could script it out, how would you like to get to 30,000?

 

Nowitzki: I would love a steal and then go down and 360 windmill, Vince Carter-esque dunk, but since I couldn’t do that, even in my prime, I would have to settle for a jump shot these days. A one legger would be great, because it’s helped my career, and prolonged my career. It’s what people know me for.

 

Stein: On if his return for the 2017-18 season can be considered a lock?

 

Nowitzki said: “I think so … unless something drastic changes here in the next few weeks or the last few weeks of the season, which I don’t anticipate. I said last summer: I signed a two-year deal [and] that obviously meant I want to play for two more,I want to complete that deal.‎”

 

Stein: What individual act on the court makes you the happiest?

 

Nowitzki: Well, it’s scoring. A lot of teams are driven by different things. Some point guards thrive on passes. Some guys get in the league and are great at rebounding and defense. For me scoring was always the thing that drove me. I always felt the urge to have the ball in my hands and make something happen.

 

Stein: When you hear people say “Dirk Nowitzki changed the power forward position”, what do you think of?

 

Nowitzki: I don’t necessarily agree with that. I think there were 4’s that were great shooters before me. I always think of Toni Kukoc, and even Detlef Schrempf had a deep ball. There were lots of guys who could shoot the ball at the 4 spot. I just happened to come into a time where they were changing the rules. They took away the back downs and zone. It was for the better of the game. If I would’ve come in the 90’s, I think I would have had to lift a lot more weights to battle down low.

 

Stein: How much better is life with a championship?

 

Nowitzki: Before, you are miserable every year. You have a chance, win 50+ games, and fall short. One year, we won 67 games, and were out after the 1st round. It’s a fulfilling moment when you finally win it. It was an incredible feeling. That summer to say, “We were the best that year” is incredible. It somewhat eases your playoff losses before that.

 

Stein: Who is your rival? Who would you point to and say “That was my main rival”?

 

Nowitzki: That’s hard to say. They always say Dwyane [Wade]. We only saw each other every now and then and then in the Finals twice. I’d say we were rivals at the beginning with Sacramento. We ran into them every year with Vlade [Divac], Chris Webber and Peja [Stojakovic]. They had an incredible team, and seemed to beat us every year. Then the Spurs. We played them in my career at least 5 or 6 times in the playoffs. We had some great battles with them. That is still one of my best memories winning game 7 in overtime in San Antonio, even though that year, we didn’t win the championship.

 

Stein: For you, if you have a decent season next year, getting to 5 is not impossible. If you played 70 something games, and averaged 15 points per game, you could get into the top 5 and pass Wilt Chamberlain. If you click your phone and look, it’s Kareem, Mailman, Kobe, MJ, Wilt and you…why don’t you just go for 5?

 

Nowitzki: I don’t actually think that’s something I play for. I picked up the sport because I love it. It’s my hobby. It’s my profession. I don’t want to come to the gym and say I have to play and I have to practice. Whatever happens, happens.

 

To listen to the rest of the podcast, click the link below. It’s 41 minutes from the man who wears #41, a man who just continues to be the definition of a true teammate, a professional, a cornerstone for a franchise and an example for all of the young kids coming into this league.

 

http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=18813657