I watched in awe on Tuesday night as Dirk Nowitzki put the Dallas Mavericks on his back and turned in one of the best performances in NBA Playoffs history.
How's this for a line? 12-of-15 from the field, 24-of-24 from the foul line, 48 points. Dallas defeated Oklahoma City in Game 1, 121-112, at the American Airlines Center.
Few thoughts that come to mind:
First, Dirk has been unstoppable in the playoffs, averaging 28 points and eight rebounds per contest. He's a ridiculous 95-of-103 from the foul line in the postseason. For him to be carving up the league at age 32 (will be 33 on June 19) is a bit of a surprise, given that he was thought to be past his prime, simply due to his age and the knee injury he suffered this year.
Dirk looks better than he's ever looked. I make this statement because Oklahoma City has lengthy post players who can defend. In watching the highlights back again (and again and again), the Thunder played solid defense on Dirk. He just hit absurd shots. When a guy is 7-feet tall and falling away off of one leg, there is only so much a defender can do. He made more quality, contested shots tonight than I can remember in a long time.
These playoffs will mean a ton when it comes to remembering Dirk's legacy. He's already the best 7-foot shooter of all-time, and easily the best Dallas Mavericks player ever. A series victory over the Thunder would be huge, and a championship ring would mean he's sniffing top 20-30 of all-time territory.
Still a long way to go. The Thunder are very talented. But this was Dirk's night in Dallas. And I couldn't be happier that it resulted in a 1-0 series lead.
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