Basketball is a sport which inevitably requires tall athletes to move, jump and shoot a ball through a hoop over an extended period of time. Generally your creative players who can move well and shoot the ball consistently are under 6 ft 6 and your players that are above this height usually occupy their time under the hoop, gathering as many rebounds and finishing off easy possessions. So how do you describe a 7ft German who has the finesse, vision and shooting ability of a great guard? The truth is you can't and all you can do is label the Dallas Mavericks leader Dirk Nowitzki a freak of nature.
On the back of his side's remarkable sweep of reigning champions the Lakers in round 2 of the playoffs, Dirk amazingly took his game to yet another level, leading his beloved Mavs back to the promised land of the NBA Finals with a 4-1 victory over highly fancied Oklahoma City. Many critics predicted the Mavs would be lethagic following their long lay off after sweeping the Lakers but Nowitzki burst out of the gates recording a massive 48 points and setting a playoff record by hitting a mammoth 24 consecutive free throws in game 1. This performance inevitably set the tone for the series and it was his prescence alone that become too much for the young Thunder side. In each of the three series the Mavericks have contested this post season many have not held back in predicting, even anticipating their demise. However, these critics severly underestimated the drive, passion and ability of the Mavs captain who has averaged 32 points per game throughout these playoffs.
It hasn't always been so easy for Dirk, as he intially struggled in his first season from making the huge transition from Europe to the NBA. But as all champions do, Dirk set his sights on NBA glory and within 3 seasons Nowitzki was an NBA All Star. Throughout the years Dirk has formed deadly partnerships with many great players including none other than former MVP Steve Nash. It was when Nash was traded to the Suns that many predicted Dirk would struggle but like he has done many times throughout his career Nowitzki proved the critics wrong and led the unfancied Mavericks to an inch of the NBA Title in 2006. Now with yet another future Hall Fame point guard Jason Kidd by his side, Nowitzki will return to the NBA Finals in a bid to capture the ring which has eluded him throughout his career and truly cement his name as not only a great shooter but as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
