Sure Dirk has been more vocal past few years, but he has to lead by example. I don't think he was right at yelling at Dampier at that stage in the playoffs when he himself was struggling. Dirk is definitely one of the better players in the league and has improved his game every year he's played, but there's no way he he near or better than KG at the moment. There's so many intangibles more than stats show that KG brings to the game.
7 assists for Dirk, he really is an underrated passer. But with the Dallas offense Dirk will pass it to (xx) and then (xx) will pass it to (yy) for the assist or something. He really carried Dallas in the 4th, this is the 8th time that Dirk has scored 10+ points in the 4th quarter. Mr Clutch
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Maverick:</div><div class="quote_post">7 assists for Dirk, he really is an underrated passer. But with the Dallas offense Dirk will pass it to (xx) and then (xx) will pass it to (yy) for the assist or something. He really carried Dallas in the 4th, this is the 8th time that Dirk has scored 10+ points in the 4th quarter. Mr Clutch </div> Now he just had 7 blocks a game ago, he really is turning into a nice all around player. He needs to be able to play well consistently, we've seen a lot of bad first halfs and then good second halfs lately
Don't look now, KG ... someone's gaining <font size="-1">12:03 AM CST on Sunday, January 8, 2006 </font> He doesn't possess the brilliant all-around game of Kevin Garnett and never will. You never would have guessed from watching the final, decisive moments of Saturday's game. The best player on the court at the end of the Mavericks' 83-79 victory wasn't Garnett. It was Dirk Nowitzki. And it wasn't even close. The Mavericks forward more than doubled (13-6) Garnett's offensive output in the fourth quarter. Nowitzki had nine points and two rebounds in the final 2:25 as the Mavericks overcame a four-point deficit. "We were a little flat in the first half," Nowitzki said, "but at the end we showed a lot of grit and a lot of heart." No one more than Nowitzki. It didn't start out that way. Both teams were on the exhaustive end of back-to-backs. The Mavericks were playing their fourth game in five nights. There were possessions when Today weatherman Al Roker would have beaten them downcourt. Nowitzki's off-balance 3-point attempt with 2:50 left appeared to be a symptom of that grind. It was the sign of a tired player floating outside, reverting to a bad habit coach Avery Johnson has tried to alter. What Nowitzki did the rest of the way shows why this team is tougher than past versions. The outside jumpers stopped. Nowitzki drove the lane, got fouled and hit two free throws. He drove the lane again and missed a layup with 1:31 left, only to keep his position and tip in his miss to tie the score at 76-76. "That was a key play for us at a key time," Mavericks guard Jerry Stackhouse said. "He had the shot, went back and got the tap. "That's probably not something you saw him do a lot of last year. If he took a shot, he just kind of drifted back, expecting it to go in or rely on someone else to get the offensive rebound. When we needed him, he got that basket for us." And more. Nowitzki popped outside, forced the Timberwolves to switch and wound up with guard Trenton Hassell on him his next trip downcourt. He backed him inside the free throw line, hit the turnaround jumper and was fouled. The three-point play staked the Mavericks to a lead in the final minute they wouldn't relinquish. Oh, yeah. He also guarded Garnett in the stretch when the Minnesota star missed two shots. The curse of greatness is that critics have no choice but to pick on what you can't do. Critics look at Nowitzki and talk about how he doesn't rebound, pass or defend as well as Garnett. All true. But since Garnett is the only player in league history to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in six consecutive seasons, let's not jump on Nowitzki too much for this. And what those critics don't acknowledge is that the Mavericks forward is a much more accomplished offensive player, one who comes up big at the end of games more than Garnett. And he does it now from different spots on the court. "He's come around because he's moving around the court more," Johnson said. "He's still popping the 3, but he's also at the free throw line posting up. He's in the mid-post. He's in the low post. He's trying to set better picks. He's trying to offensive rebound. He's starting to block more shots. "He's improving his versatility. We've got to get there, because when the season really counts, they're going to play smaller people on him and try to keep him off the 3-point line. That's what I would do." That's what Houston and Phoenix did in the playoffs. Went small and tormented him. Took away the pick-and-roll and he looked lost. Defensive improvement was the Mavericks' priority entering this season. But next on the list was to get Nowitzki more comfortable in more spots on the court. It's a work in progress. But it is working. Written by David Moore, of the DMN
There really is no wrong answer to this question. Both players are unique. Nowitzki has shown a little more capacity to adapt to his team's needs and is dominant in the 4th quarter. But Garnett is an all around great player who can only be stopped by himself.
Dirk has definitely been great this season, and is probably having the best year in his career, but unless he ends up being a hall of famer, I'm not going to say he's better than Garnett.
You dont think Dirk will be a Hall of Famer? I think it's been a lock, since he is the best Foreign player to play in the NBA.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dallasdude:</div><div class="quote_post">Sure Dirk has been more vocal past few years, but he has to lead by example. I don't think he was right at yelling at Dampier at that stage in the playoffs when he himself was struggling.</div> Yeah. He yelled at Jason Terry too when Nash hit that pull up three (you know the one). He has a point, you have to defend that late in a game. Still, Dirk doesn't play D very well either. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Dirk is definitely one of the better players in the league and has improved his game every year he's played, but there's no way he he near or better than KG at the moment. There's so many intangibles more than stats show that KG brings to the game.</div> If you admit he's not better than KG then why start a thread about it? KG brings more intensity than Dirk does, at least on the floor. KG is a better defender, but offensively I would probably take Dirk. Then again, Dirk has always had a scoring pg and sg around him.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> You dont think Dirk will be a Hall of Famer? I think it's been a lock, since he is the best Foreign player to play in the NBA. </div> Nope, not yet. He has just been in an All NBA First team once but has a good chance to be in this year's too. He hasn't won an MVP or any other league awards in scoring/rebounding/assists any year he's been in the league. Based on basketball-reference.com, his Hall of Fame Probability is currently at .231. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nowitdi01.html IMO, he needs to continue playing like he has this year for atleast 5 more years for him to be considered. He's no doubt one of the best foriegn player to play in the NBA and has been improving his game every year, but I don't think he's a lock for a hall of fame as you mentioned. He still has ways to go.
I can't remember who said this, but it went something like this On MVP's getting into the HoF The only way Nash will be in the Hall of Fame is if he's with Dirk Nowitzki when they induct him
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Maverick:</div><div class="quote_post">I can't remember who said this, but it went something like this On MVP's getting into the HoF The only way Nash will be in the Hall of Fame is if he's with Dirk Nowitzki when they induct him</div> Nash won the MVP not because of Dirk, but because of the Suns style of offense and his teammates. He probably wouldn't have won the MVP if he stayed in Dallas.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dallasdude:</div><div class="quote_post">Nash won the MVP not because of Dirk, but because of the Suns style of offense and his teammates. He probably wouldn't have won the MVP if he stayed in Dallas.</div> I don't think thats what the quote means. Every MVP (who is applicable) has been inducted to the Hall of Fame, this quote is trying to say -- Nash shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame, the only way thats gonna happen if hes with his good friend Dirk when they induct him Cappish
I think Dirk has proven to be more dominant when the game is on the line than Garnett. Though Garnett and Dirk are close in the first 3 quarters that Dirk is able to take over and be clutch as of late more than Garnett.
Isn't this clear? KG's all-around game is easily more complete, especially on the defensive end. Dirk is improving every year on D, but will never be at KGs level. But offensively, there is no comparison, especially in the final minutes of the game. Dirk has more range and is far more clutch, which shows something about his competetive drive, which he has plenty of (not to say KG does not). An earlier post mentioned Dirk's post-season last year... a year he was coming off an injury. And Dirk yells at his teammates. Dampier NEEDS to be yelled at and called out! He was playing like monkey spunk! I'm not a fan of the berating of your teammeates either, but come on! Bottom line, I would put Dirk on my team, not because he's a better player, but because you can surround him with players that do what KG does, but I challenge you to find another 7-footer that shoots the 3, the mid-range jumper, the FT%, has the speed and control, and all this gets better in the final few minutes when it matters. NOT 1! KGs the better player... I'll take Diggler. j
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Jurassic:</div><div class="quote_post">If you admit he's not better than KG then why start a thread about it? KG brings more intensity than Dirk does, at least on the floor. KG is a better defender, but offensively I would probably take Dirk. Then again, Dirk has always had a scoring pg and sg around him.</div> This year, that's no longer true. Dirk is way more intense than in the past, maybe because he has something to prove... and Jaric is playing geat ball this year. Maybe not a pure scorer, but he's working both ends well. j
Its very hard to pick from either one, I would say with a player like Dirk you could do more things and have more options on your offense. You can spread the floor and open up the lanes by putting him by the 3 point line. Or putting him on the post and going to work. Although his defense is questionable he has show great improvment on that and its shown this season. I love KG but if I had to pick outta the two I would take Dirk just because he is also the one I would want to take the game winning shot.
Give me the guy that's more likely to perform at the higher level in the playoffs and when games are on the line. Give me Dirk. KG might be better the first 36 minutes of the game, but Dirk's head and shoulders better than KG after that point.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting xclutchx:</div><div class="quote_post">Its very hard to pick from either one, I would say with a player like Dirk you could do more things and have more options on your offense. You can spread the floor and open up the lanes by putting him by the 3 point line. Or putting him on the post and going to work. Although his defense is questionable he has show great improvment on that and its shown this season. I love KG but if I had to pick outta the two I would take Dirk just because he is also the one I would want to take the game winning shot.</div> Yeah it is easier for Dirk to create his shot than Garnett. Garnett is not the easiest guy to put on the offensive end and say we need a basket. He can do it but usually needs to be set up in a good position to do that. Dirk can exploit matchups easier to due to his wide variety on the offense.
