Dirk Nowitzki’s age-defying wizardry has been overlooked lately because of Kobe Bryant.
While the basketball world is still buzzing about the 37-year-old Bryant’s 60-point outburst against Utah in his final game, Nowitzki, two months older than Bryant, is still playing. He leads the Dallas Mavericks into their first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Game 1 on Saturday night.
Nowitzki isn’t just still playing at 37 – he’s thriving. He led the Mavericks with 18.3 points per game this season. The league’s No. 6 all-time scorer doesn’t fire as often as in years past, but he’s still dangerous.
“Physically, he would probably tell you he’s not where he was five or six years ago, but he’s still finding ways to be effective,” 35-year-old Thunder forward Nick Collison said. “They’re putting teams in really tough binds with how to guard their actions with a lot of the stuff they can do with his skill set. He’s a guy I’ve got a ton of respect for. He’s really good, and he’s still doing it after all these years.”
Nowitzki’s shooting touch for a 7-footer poses matchup problems for most teams. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said his knowledge is just as important.
“I think any time, whether it’s a Kobe Bryant or a Dirk Nowitzki, guys that have been in the NBA for a long, long time, I think the thing you can never underestimate is their ability and their experience and how many situations these guys have been in, and how they play the game mentally just as much as they play it physically,” Donovan said.
Nowitzki has stood in the Thunder’s way before: The Mavericks beat Oklahoma City in the 2011 Western Conference finals on their way to the NBA title. The Thunder swept the Mavericks in the first round the next year en route to the NBA Finals.
It’s unclear how many more years Nowitzki will play, so Thunder forward Kevin Durant will enjoy the competition while he can.
“Dirk Nowitzki is one of my favorite players to ever play the game, so it’s going to be fun playing against him,” Durant said.
