The Dallas Mavericks have made the playoffs 11 consecutive seasons and have won 50+ games countless years in a row. Throughout this run, the one constant has been Dirk Nowitzki who has won an MVP and led the club to the Finals in 2006 where they came up short. They have always been a good team, but were never able to get over the hump. Those shortcomings seemed the norm for the Mavs and after they were knocked out of the playoffs by the Spurs last year, I professed that Dirk was incapable of leading a team to a championship because it was the same movie year in and year out. Clearly, I was wrong. I’ve heard some say that the Heat lost this series more so than the Mavs won it, but it really doesn’t make sense going down that road at this point, because in 10 years, no one will remember the particulars of the series. The fact of the matter is that the Mavericks are the champs.
Dirk has been an exceptional player for a long time, and that was never questioned since he’s probably the most uniquely gifted player ever. In years past he was never able to sustain that high level of play throughout an entire playoffs series long enough to win a title, which is why I doubted that he could do it. But that wasn’t the case this year. He brought it every single night. Even last night, where he was 1 – 12 in the first half, he rebounded in the second half to end up with solid numbers.
But what does this do for his legacy? His coach, Rick Carlisle said that he’s a top 10 player ever. Weeks ago, ESPN’s Chris Broussard said that Dirk is in the discussion of the greatest power forwards ever, as long as Tim Duncan’s name isn’t included in that debate. I’m not sure if he’s a top 10 player ever, but I will say that during this postseason, he was as clutch as they come and routinely had historic performances. To address Broussard’s claim, when you think of the greatest power forwards ever, names like Duncan, Barkley and Karl Malone to name a few, come to mind. While I agree with Broussard that you cannot put Dirk ahead of Duncan, I’m not sure if most will put him ahead of ringless Barkley or Malone either. That’s based solely on perception and may have to do with the fact that Dirk is still playing. They may change once he’s retired.
What I can say with certainty is that this ring ensures that Dirk’s name will remain relevant long after he retires. So many great former players aren’t mentioned as much anymore simply because they never won a ring. With this championship, Dirk’s name will always be in discussions long after he’s done playing, and that’s what legacy is all about: are you remembered, and if so, how? I cannot say that would be the same without a ring. In 20 years, would people remember Dirk as well without a championship? Probably not. Therefore, this ring basically defines his legacy all by itself.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
