<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">PORTLAND, Ore. ? Dirk Nowitzki's exceptional season has made him a league MVP candidate. It also has taken its toll over 75 games of wear and tear. Nowitzki sat out Thursday's game against Portland to rest various aches and pains, notably a sore left shoulder. He got treatment before the game, and coach Avery Johnson decided to sit him on the second night of a back-to-back. "My shoulder was a little sore after [Wednesday's game]," Nowitzki said. "I'll have the next couple days to get ready for Sunday." The Mavericks finish the West Coast trip against the Los Angeles Lakers. That will be an ABC national telecast, giving Nowitzki one last chance to impress MVP voters before ballots must be submitted next week. Johnson said Nowitzki ? averaging a career-best 26.3 points, along with 9.9 rebounds ? is getting shortchanged when it comes to MVP talk, which has centered on Miami's Shaquille O'Neal and Phoenix's Steve Nash. "Why can't you make a case for Dirk?" he said. "You know what happens is a lack of appreciation because those guys were in situations where the plus-minus in terms of wins was substantial." </div> Source
