Dirk is one of only four players in NBA history to average better than 25 points and 10 rebound per playoff game. The others are Hakeem Olajuwon, Elgin Baylor, and Bob Pettit (Shaq was on the list until recently and Kareem Abdul Jabbar also dropped off the list late in his career). Very impressive company to say the least. For Dirk, those numbers are not simply the product of high volume. Dirk's career playoff PER is 24.7, even better than his regular season PER of 23.7. His playoff true shooting percentage is 58%. How about his "clutch" and "big game" performances? Let's list a few of them:
A) In Game 7 of the 2006 Western Conference Semi-Final victory against the Spurs, Dirk went off for 37 points and 15 rebounds. Three of those points came on an and-one with 15 seconds left that forced overtime.
B) In Game 5 of the 2006 Conference Finals against the Suns, Dirk scored 50 points on just 26 field goal attempts in a Mavericks win.
C) In 2003, the Mavericks and Spurs tied for the best record during the regular season (60-22). The two teams won tough early-round series and faced off in the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs raced out to a big lead in Game 1, but led by Dirk's 38 points and 15 rebounds, the Mavs came back for the win. The Spurs won Game 2, but the Mavs had still wrested away home-court advantage and the series was looking up for grabs. In Game 3, Dirk got hurt. The series was over. The Spurs finished Dallas off with ease and went on to win the Championship.
D) In 2001, In Dirk's first ever playoff appearance, the Mavericks faced the then clearly-superior Spurs, but didn't go down without a fight. In Game 4, Dirk had his tooth knocked out with a few minutes remaining, but left the floor for only 30 seconds before returning and scored the final four points to get his team the win.
E) In 2010, again against the Spurs, Dirk scored 36 points on just 14 shots to lead the Mavs to a Game 1 win.
The list of examples could go on. Could a list also be made including some games in which Dirk didn't shine? Sure. But that will invariably be true of any player that has made the playoffs in eleven straight seasons. And Dirk's overall body of work is undeniably positive.
Dirk has also always been one of the very best "clutch" regular season-players. This year, he's amongst the leaders in points per 48 of clutch time and is maintaining a shooting percentage of about 46% during those moments. Moreover, he's third in the league when it comes to getting to the line in the clutch and has hit 89% of the resultant free throws. His numbers from the other years in which 82games.com has recorded clutch stats are quite similar.
So, why haven't the Mavs achieved consistent post-season success if Dirk is not at fault? Because of the make-up of their team.
The Mavericks have never surrounded Dirk with super-star talent. Since Steve Nash left Dallas as he was just beginning to come into his own, who has been the Mavericks second best player? Josh Howard for a while? Jason Terry? A washed up Jason Kidd? In the playoffs, super-star laden teams with a group of solid role-players to fill out a eight man rotation win. At the very least, a team needs to be like the Larry Brown Detroit Pistons and have four or five players who are at or near All-Star level. The Mavs simply have not had that kind of top-tier talent.
A team's bench is a big deal during the regular season and this plays to the Mavericks advantage. Mark Cuban throws around money like few owners in sports. He could care less about the luxury cap. As a result, the Mavericks have guys like Brendan Haywood on the bench and can throw Shawn Marion into the starting lineup when Caron Butler gets hurt. For years, the Mavs second string has included 4-5 players who would be starters on many other teams. During the grind of the regular season, with back-to-backs and starters being limited to 30-35 minutes per game, this depth is a large benefit. However, come playoff time, starters minutes get ramped up and the time in between games is increased. A team's bench is no longer as important. By refusing to ever go anywhere near the salary cap and rebuild, Mark Cuban has ensured the Mavericks teams are consistently built for the regular-season, not for the playoffs.
A last point: the Mavericks deserved to win the 2006 Finals. I didn't care who won going into the series, but it was still one of the more frustrating viewing experiences I can remember. The Mavs were up 2-0 and looked like the clearly superior team. Then the referees took over. Anytime Dwyane Wade got anywhere near the hoop, particularly in a game's closing moments, a foul was called. Replays often showed the foul calls were erroneous, but they continued nonetheless. I have no idea whether the calls were David Stern mandated, were the result of referees' betting interests, or simply was horrendous officiating without reason. What I do know is that Nowitzki should not be faulted for the Maverick's loss.
Similarly, if the Mavericks lose their upcoming series against the Trailblazers, history suggests that it will not be because of Dirk Nowitzki. Instead, it will be because the Trailblazers have LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace, Andre Miller, Nicholas Batum, Wesley Mathews, and Marcus Camby. As exhibited by the Mavs 2-7 record while Dirk was injured this season, they simply do not have the same level of top-tier talent. And if Dallas defeats Portland and goes on to face the Lakers, the comparison of supporting casts becomes even more stark.
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