Wesley Matthews takes a wide open three. Clank. Deron Williams curls around a screen and pulls up for an elbow jumper. Brick. Zaza Pachulia works inside and twists around for a layup. Rejected.
Saturday night quickly turned into a nightmare for the Dallas Mavericks. Almost nothing was falling, and the Thunder took advantage of those miscues to the tune of a 38-point beatdown in Oklahoma City. Rick Carlisle's squad was thoroughly embarrassed with the horrific field goal percentage they put up in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and rightly so. Despite their overachievement during the regular season, the Mavs and its fan-base can see the writing on the wall. They walked straight into a buzzsaw.
The feeling of defeat hung over all of the players' heads as they headed back to the hotel, likely pushing the thought of the next morning's practice to the back of their minds. All except one. Dirk Nowitzki was the only bright spot for Dallas in game one, scoring 18 points on a solid 47 percent shooting from the field. His contributions did not stop on the court, however. They never do.
Dirk has spent his entire 18 year career in Dallas. Fans have come to respect his talent. However, it is not his abilities with a basketball that stick out the most. Nowitzki's selflessness speaks volumes about his character. With all the accomplishments and accolades he has earned, you would think that Dirk would demand respect. Instead, the big German lives his life the exact opposite. He never likes to be in the limelight, and would rather deflect praise back to his teammates and coaches. As his career has started to wind down, Nowitzki has accepted becoming a secondary option, unlike most star players at the back end of their careers. He has even taken massive pay cuts so that his team has a better chance of bringing in top players and making a run at the championship. That servant attitude is visible more now than ever before, especially in the game one box score. A quick look at the Mavs' roster tells you all you need to know about this year's team: almost every guy on the team is a glorified role player. There is next to no talent in Dallas, and Dirk's age doesn't help him, either. Striking out in free agency has put the Mavericks in a big hole. Dirk doesn't care. He keeps fighting for wins, and makes the best out of bad situations.
Dallas was projected to win just over 30 games this season. With one glance at the roster, almost anyone could agree with that. Nowitzki almost single-handedly willed the Mavs to 42 wins and a playoff appearance. And yet, with an immense amount of pressure on himself, he continues to give credit to others and keeps working to succeed. No arguing, no negative emotions. The ultimate team player, Dirk is determined to do what he does best, and that is win - the right way.
Dallas' game one meltdown is surely foreshadowing the rest of the series, but Dirk knows what he has to do. No matter what happens in the 2016 postseason, he knows that there is something else he can improve on. He won't show off and brag about it to the media. He will simply stay humble, and continue to figure out how he can help his team win another championship. In the current sports world, an athlete of his star caliber and demeanor is hard to find. To most star athletes, it's all about "me" and no one else. Dirk views it differently, and for that, fans appreciate him.
