As Dirk Nowitzki enters his 21st NBA season this fall, we have assumed the difficult but enviable task of scanning Nowitzki’s 1,616 career games — 1,471 regular season and 145 playoff contests — and narrowing them down to his top 21. Keep in mind we’re accounting for the magnitude of the game as well as the strength of Dirk’s performance. We will have one installation featuring three games each week, completing the reveal over a seven-week span. This is the third installment. By the end of this, training camp will already be underway and the regular season will be less than a month away. Onward!
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Click here to see the first installment, #19-#21.
Click here to see the second installment, #16-#18.
No. 15 — No. 13
No. 15: Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs; November 18, 2009
Venue: American Airlines Center
Result: Mavs win 99-94 in OT
Dirk’s line: 45 minutes, 41 points, 12 rebounds.
15/29 from the field (51.7%), 1/1 from 3-point range, 10/12 free throws.
What happened: In an almost-literal sense, Dirk Nowitzki was all the Mavs had on this night as three starters – Erick Dampier, Shawn Marion, and Josh Howard – missed the game due to injury. On the other side, the Spurs played without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili left the game in the first quarter.
Nowitzki saved his best for when stakes were at their highest, scoring 32 points after halftime. A competitive game throughout, overtime made up the difference. In what was as much of a Nowitzki vs. Duncan game as can be because of the injuries, No. 41 outscored No. 21 11-0 in the overtime period. In fact, Nowitzki alone outscored the entire Spurs team 11-10 in overtime.
“I know I played badly in the overtime,” Duncan said. “The OT wasn’t good for us and Dirk really took over and won it for his team.”
Highlights:
Dirk gave the Mavs a lead late in the fourth with this tip-in after a miss.
Tim Duncan scored on the other end to send the game to overtime. Dirk took over from there, including this fastbreak layup and the foul…
… and then a three-pointer for the dagger.
Saad: I just remember there being some injuries for both teams in this game but really two things come to mind in this one. First, I remember Tim Duncan just kind of disappearing in overtime. Secondly, just a classic, monster second-half performance from Dirk here, especially in OT. I know Manu was hurt for most of this one but given the recent retirement, looking back at a game like this with the old classic crew for the Spurs and watching Dirk battle them just put me in my feels.
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Tim: I wasn’t sure if I remembered this game until that tip-in in the highlights video. Dirk wasn’t a great offensive rebounder. He never really cleaned up the glass. But he did win games, and in that moment, the Mavericks needed an offensive rebound and a tip-in to make sure they won. They did.
That flex after the and-one layup is an iconic Nowitzki celebration, too.
No. 14: Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets; May 11, 2009
Venue: American Airlines Center
Result: Mavs win 119-117
Dirk’s line: 44 minutes, 44 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
14/25 from the field (56%), 16/17 free throws.
What happened: After cruising past the Spurs in five games during the first round, the Mavs found themselves in a 3-0 series hole to the Nuggets entering Game 4 of the Conference Semifinals. Up to this point in his career, Nowitzki had never been swept in a playoff series so even though coming back from a 3-0 deficit was unlikely, winning Game 4 held some importance. On top of that, Nowitzki was facing some adversity in his personal life. After Game 2 of this series, Nowitzki’s then-fiancé, Cristal Taylor, was arrested at his home for existing warrants. Game 3 then ended with a missed call by the referees that led to a game-winning triple from Carmelo Anthony, and plenty of madness afterward.
Despite all of those factors, Nowitzki willed his way to avoid the sweep.
Nowitzki totaled 44 points on a night he didn’t even attempt a three-pointer. Nearly half of those points, 19 to be exact, came in the fourth quarter. All night, Nowitzki was having to match Melo, who finished with 41 points in the loss. Nowitzki broke a 112-112 tie with just over a minute left in the game to give the Mavs a two-point lead. He added a couple of free throws in the final 10 seconds to also help put the Nuggets away.
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After the game, head coach Rick Carlisle credited Nowitzki’s performance in the midst of tough times.
“There are very few guys I have been around in this league that are as strong-willed as him,” Carlisle said.
Highlights:
Dirk did work down low, getting the basket and the foul in the third to help close the gap.
With under three minutes to go, Dirk tied things up at 110.
With just over a minute left, Dirk gave the Mavs a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Saad: There was so much wildness around this time. I remember Kenyon Martin being at the center of some drama with Mark Cuban and the Mavs fans at the AAC getting a bit wild. And then Dirk, who is as drama-free as they come, obviously had a lot going on in his life. But on the court, Dirk had some pretty epic duels with the stars of his generations and the generations around him. This one with Melo is up there as one of the best. It’s crazy that up until this point, Dirk didn’t have a ring and so a lot of people labeled him as a choke artist, or soft, but if you look at some of these games, he was money in big moments quite often. This one led to the Mavericks avoiding a sweep.
Tim: So this will always go down, for me, as the game after the game where Antoine Wright didn’t foul Carmelo Anthony and the Mavericks lost, and Nowitzki exacted righteous justice on the Nuggets even though there was no realistic way the Mavericks could come back from 3-0. For the record: Wright did foul Anthony, because there were a combined 61 fouls called in that game. It was extremely tight and touchy, and that should’ve counted. But clearly, backing away and putting your hands up – the universal “I didn’t foul that dude” move – wasn’t helpful. And Nowitzki’s majestic performance in Game 4, that could’ve tied up the series, ultimately didn’t matter.
No. 13: Dallas Mavericks vs. Chicago Bulls; March 30, 2013
Venue: American Airlines Center
Result: Mavs win 100-98
Dirk’s line: 34 minutes, 35 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
14/17 from the field (82.4%), 5/6 from 3-point range, 2/2 free throws.
What happened: To understand why this game lands on the list, some background information is necessary. The Mavs were in a tight race with the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz for the eighth seed in the Western Conference with just 10 games to go in the season (they eventually finished 10th). Dallas was coming off of a 25-point loss to the Indiana Pacers while the Bulls were in high spirits, coming off of a win over the Big-3 Miami Heat, ending their 27-game winning streak.
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As far as the game, Nowitzki was money throughout. He started the game making his first eight shots and kept the Mavs close in the first half. Chicago led by three at halftime and then pushed it to 13 in the third quarter. However, the Mavericks finished that period on a 12-1 run to tie things up at 75 heading into the final quarter. Chicago went up by 12 points with four minutes to go, making a win look unlikely for the Mavs. That’s when the Mavs started to heat up and Bulls started to crumble. Chicago missed three crucial free throws in the final minute and Dallas closed the game on a 15-1 run with Nowitzki leading the surge, scoring eight points, including the game-winning three-pointer with three seconds left – which led to the legendary reaction shot you see above.
Highlights:
There are three stages to the highlights of this one: The start, the rally and the finish.
The start had Dirk making his first eight shots, including the initial basket from downtown.
Exactly one minute later, Nowitzki hit another shot from almost the same area.
In addition to the scoring, he also got spread the wealth.
Oh, the midrange game was clicking as well during this 8/8 start from the field, as evident by these two shots.
After the Mavs fell behind in the fourth quarter, Nowitzki rallied the troops and led the way. This closed the gap to five points.
The Big German got back after that shot and played some defense, too.
The Mavs eventually fell behind again, trailing by 12 with four minutes to go. After the team closed the gap, the stage was set for Nowitzki in the final minute. And it was epic.
First came a three-pointer from the corner.
Then a sweet fadeaway to cut it to one.
A couple of Bulls missed free throws later, the dagger.
Saad: Thing I remember most about this game is that the Mavs were in a playoff race at this point and needed this game. Once the Bulls went up by like 12, I remember thinking that there was no way that they’d win this game because Nate Robinson also was kinda crazy in this one. And then, of course, Dirk happened (and Bulls missed some late free throws). Also, this has to be one of my favorite games only because this was CAVEMAN DIRK STAGE!! That image of him celebrating with that thick beard after his winning shot is iconic in my books.
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Tim: This was the one game I lobbied for Saad to put onto this list, because outside of the usual performances we’ll get to at the top of this list, this one really might be my favorite. Also, I missed it. I literally was planning on driving from Denton, where I was living at the time, and chose to skip it. I watched it on my television that Saturday for the 1 p.m. start – and no, it actually wasn’t because of hangover reasons – and regretted that decision for 53 minutes.
This is the Nowitzki of the future, the one that decided it was OK mostly shooting three-pointers, abusing post mismatches, and sneaking in occasional scores elsewhere. He was brilliant in this game, and he simply didn’t miss – 14-of-17 from the floor is incredible. And in a must-win game for Dallas, of course it was Dirk showing up over and over again.