Dirk Nowitzki

Before recently, I had never even heard Dirk Nowitzki talk to the media. I think the last time I saw or heard Dirk off the court was on an episode of Punk'd like seven years ago. Even then he seemed like a humble, stand up guy. Not that I think differently now, but because of his private and quiet demeanor away from the court, I was really surprised when Dirk said:

"It doesn't really matter who's guarding me....I've been attacking no matter who's on me"

Here's Nowitzki's trademark jumper.

The thing about this statement is that he's right. From my couch, Dirk looks like the toughest guy in the league to defend. Anybody who's 7 feet tall and weight 245 pounds is going to be a tough assignment, but Dirk has the best jumper of any big man I've ever seen. I can't tell you how many times I've seen him with his back to the basket at the top of the key with two seconds left on the shot clock, and then he spins around, jumps backwards from one leg, and then drains the jumper like it was nothing. It's impossible to guard him. You can stick a hand in his face, but his release point is so high and he creates so much space for himself that it just doesn't matter. Combine that with a post up game and an 88 percent career free throw shooter, and you have an unstoppable scorer. Here's Dirk's Game 1 Stats: 48 points, 12-15 from the field, 24-24 from the free throw line, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks. If you're an Oklahoma City team that's unlucky enough to have to play Dirk when he's on fire like he was during game 1, you can't expect to win. The Mavericks have a star hungry for a ring in Nowitzki, as well as a solid group of role players in Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, and DeShawn Stevenson. If Nowitzki can keep playing like he has been, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if the Mavericks were to win the title.