On Dirk and the Mavs

by

There’s a great disconnect between sports fans and those stars we watch on TV. LeBron James’ comments after the Miami Heat lost the NBA championship to the Dallas Mavericks last night prove that.

“[At] the end of the day, all the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today,” James said during Game 6’s postgame press conference. “They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that.

“They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they have to get back to the real world at some point.”

This isn’t meant to be a critical piece on LeBron, there will be / are plenty others who will do that. Instead, I’d like to appreciate what we saw last night from Dirk Nowitzki.

Celebrities, professional athletes included, live in a much different world than the rest of us. We live in “the real world” as LeBron put it bluntly. Famous folks, it seems, exist in a different realm that operates on slightly altered standards and customs.

We want for our famous athletes to value winning championships above all. A fan can brag about a player from their favorite team winning an MVP or making an All-Star team only so much before it rings hollow. As outsiders looking in, we think championships are all that matter. Unfortunately, we realistically know all too well that’s not always the case.

When the final buzzer sounded last night and Nowitzki hopped over a row of chairs en route to his locker room, face buried in his jersey, we saw what we wanted to see. Humbled by finally winning the ultimate prize, Dirk was in our world.

Spurs fans should remember the feeling well. We bore witness to Sean Elliott winning a title with fading kidneys, David Robinson riding off into the sunset and former Maverick Michael Finley finally holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Manu Ginobili’s ecstatic celebration after winning a title, hoisted in the air by Sean Marks, made ABC’s intro for this year’s Finals.

Dirk’s long career of awkward, efficient, and now championship basketball, 13 seasons in the making, resulted in moments last night of emotions that no one can accurately put into words, as Rob Mahoney accurately put into words. I don’t pretend to know what Dirk was feeling, but I know what I was feeling watching him.

And though Dirk is now a NBA Finals MVP, made over $17 million this season and is seven feet tall, in that moment we could all relate to him in some way. He was, dare I say, normal. If only that wasn’t such a foreign concept.

So congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on being the 2011 NBA Champions. Even if that means Jason Terry has a title.

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  • Colin Rigney

    “Then if the Spurs could land Sasha Vujacic via free agency”No.
    Â

  • Hobson13

    I wish we could have a poll on 48MOH to see who actually likes those assholes from South Beach vs our longtime rival Mavs. My guess is that the Heatles popularity aint too high after their Finals antics and Lebrons post Game 6 rant against all of us “little people”. As I said, it was the lesser of two evils. I understand a little bit of the hate for Dallas, but “LA in blue and white”? You seriously think Dirk is as bad as Kobe? The Dallas fans as grotesquely ignorant as the Lakers fans? Rick Carlisle as arrogant as Jackson? I never said I loved the Mavs, but the only two teams I could hate more are LA and the South Beach group. Let’s just agree to disagree about the Mavs.  Â

  • Hobson13

    Are you calling everyone who hates the Heat racist?

  • Titletown99030507d

    No, just seems that way. Hows that moderator?

  • Titletown99030507d

    Actually its not the heatles I care for its Lebron. He did his time in Cleveland and fulfilled his contract so why the badgering? Why him? He didn’t do anything to anybody he didnt commit any crimes of any nature but people hate him for exercising his right to move on.
    People need to grow up. It’s a business. He didn’t bitch about Cleveland and demanded a trade and cut his time short there like other athletes not only in basketball but in any sport he just waited patiently did his time and made a decision. So what all the hoopla for. Media?

  • Titletown99030507d

    Did I say Dirk. No. Actually happy for Kidd and Dirk but Terry, Marion and Cuban they just rub me the wrong way and really hate to see them with any success. They are the Lakers in Blue and White for me.

  • Titletown99030507d

    I agree. And really people can’t judge his potential on this type of competition, but for a 7 footer to be handling the ball that way and moving that fast with it and owning a sweet smooth shot to boot add the spunky attitude to his game. Man that has to count for something. I would give the kid a chance to put it all on the floor. Succeed or fail I’d like to see what he’s got now (as soon as this CBA gets sorted out) against NBA players. I would think this kid is going to be better than Mahinmi. RR at 20 yrs vs Mahinmi at 20yrs. I’ll take RR.

  • Titletown99030507d

    In an interview before the draft he said he fashioned his game like that of Chris Bosh. Not saying anything about being Chris Bosh but the kid likes the that style of play. If he stays in that stature and not really bulking up could there be a place for him on this Spurs roster with that style of play? What I’m saying does a Chris Bosh style of play fit in Pop’s system?

  • Colin Rigney

    U responding to me?

  • DorieStreet

    With few exceptions (I remember Walt “Clyde” Frazier in his floor-length mink coat & Rolls-Royce), it has been only a decade or so that sports fans have become exposed to the affluence and wealth of professional athletes, and many fans & sport media have weighed in on this topic-mostly for the negative.

    But the stars of entertainment—movies, television, music-have been shown in all of their wealth and extravangance for over 100 years. The public has read about it and seen it on a far greater scale.
    But the backlash and criticism against that group is not even 1/10 the amount heaped on those who acquired their affluent lifestyle with displays of strengh or speed, skill or guile, toughness or determination on a court, field, ring, rink, raceway, or track.

    And that ‘real world’ phrase is so off-base, so one-demensional when it comes to wealth and lavish living- there are far more 20 room mansions, lambroghinis, private jets, 60-foot yachts, and vacation homes owned by people who are not entertainers or athletes. Bankers, lawyers, CEOs, polititians, government (local/state/national) officials, entrepreneurs—even criminals.

    Oh, and let us not forget the owners of every professional sport franchise.

  • DorieStreet

    Yes it does. Or if he spots up closer to the rim- a Kevin Garnett. KG always has been a PF who got the majority of his points shooting face-up 12-18 footers, while going down on the block when he had the advantage to put up baskets on short drives or spin moves over or around his opponent. But he moved down low to rebound when his teammates took their shots.

    Splitter. Richards. And IF- he gets he head on straight and does what he must do (short jumper, 2 low post moves, stop mishandling assists,missing bunnies & putbacks) to the best of his ability to remain a Spur—-Blair. Then another young PF through FA (someone from Portland; what about the Wizards’ Blatche or McGee—new attitude, determination and hunger if plucked from a losing organization to a winner? And don’t forget the draft pick; good draft or not good draft/ look very hard and find some potential to groom.

    Spurs might take a dip to 48, 45 one or two seasons to get the new generation to learn and grow into contenders.

  • someOldProgrammer

    I agree

  • Bry

    I have to agree. I don’t mind classy vets like Kidd and Nowitzki getting rings finally, but I really did not want to see our division rival putting a banner up in their building. Man, it’s a  black day in Texas….

  • Bry

    The anti-Heat hype is way overblown. People just hate because they are haters. They act like Miami is full of thugs or assholes. Last I checked, if you look at their roster that isn’t the case. There are easily ten teams in the league that as a Spurs fan and basketball fan we should hate on before Miami, and one of them is Dallas.

  • Bry

    I agree. I don’t hate the Mavs as much as the Lakers, but they are still one of the worst five or six teams in the league, when you count ownership as well. How can you compare Miami to the Lakers?! The star of your team is a primadonna rapist, you have the highest salary in the league, and you got swept and then cheap-shotted 5’9″ gaurds on the way out the door. You’re gonna compare them to Miami? Apart from their stupid show this summer, what have any of them ever done through their careers?

  • Colin Rigney

    If you say so………

  • Colin Rigney

    “He’s a fan first and foremost, and fans trash talk.”Not all fans are billionaires. Get that straight. The dude is responsible for Youtube and made billions off the the rights by selling it to Yahoo.Â

    # 1. He is a fan first and foremost because he can afford it.Â

    # 2. He is doing what most of the people who post here wish we could.Â

    # 3. I don’t fault him for it.Â

  • Anonymous

    No, first and foremost he is an owner and representative of a team. And since when were “fan” and “rabid, out of control, moron” synonymous with each other? There are garbage fans out there that don’t know how to control themselves, sure, but as the owner of a team you have to show constraint and-for God’s sake-at least a modicum of maturity. He’s done none of this, obviously due to the envy he has for his rival’s success. Using the statement that “oh he’s just a fan” as a crutch to excuse his pathetic and childish behavior is asinine and pointless. You don’t think other owners are fans of their team?? Just because they don’t run around with a little-boy haircut and a team t-shirt sitting in the front row, running on the court, spitting, screaming and turning purple in the face doesn’t make them (or anyone) not a fan. You can love Cuban right back and pretend he doesn’t do all the stupid crap he does, but that doesn’t make you loyal-it makes you an idiot.

    And “get over it”? Why? Because you said so? He said several offensive things about my home and city, and it’s not like he can take them back. So why are we supposed to pretend like it didn’t happen?

  • spurs93

    I am a Spurs fan and have been one for 20 yrs now. I have loved every minute of the competition between the two teams over the years and I can say I am happy for the Mavs and their team. Dirk is a stand up guy and Mark Cuban is well….Mark Cuban, but he has calmed down over the years.

    When watching this years NBA playoffs and how they unfolded, I couldnt help but notice how it somewhat resembled the 07 playoffs when the Mavs lost in the first round and the Spurs won it all. This time the roles were reversed.

  • http://twitter.com/statforthat Deron R. Pope

    I’m not a Mavs fan, but you can’t deny how much they have grown since ’06. Â They played a great series, just giving credit where credit is due. Â BTW, i’m a Kidd fan.

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