Before we get to the Mavs’ tantalizing potential pursuits of available big men like Amare Stoudemire and Larry Sanders, we can’t let the week start without a review of what happened in New York over the weekend.
As in, Dallas players were involved in two very rare occurrences: A fashion show. And a lob dunk.
Mavs’ forward Chandler Parsons was a finalist alongside J.R. Smith in the first ever NBA All-Star Fashion Show, which was polluted by fur scarves, canned applause, awkward product placement and a seemingly disinterested panel that included – for some reason – Charles Barkley.
But what happened on the court Sunday was even more what-the-what?! In a rarity seen about as often as Halley’s Comet, Dirk Nowitzki dunked. No, not just dunked. He dunked off an alley-oop pass.
The 36-year-old Nowitzki, a last-minute replacement for injured Anthony Davis in this year’s game, was making his 13th – and perhaps final? – All-Star appearance. His game of touch and finesse and Flamingo Fadeaways has always been an ill-fit for the high-flying All-Star vibe. It’s what made last night all the more shocking.
Running down the left side of the court, Nowitzki jumped – no seriously, he got air – for a lob pass from Stephen Curry and finished with a barely-over-the-rim, two-handed dunk. Dirk, adding a touch of comedy to his on-court persona, punctuated the slam by mimicking Vince Carter’s pose from the 2000 slam dunk contest.
In the stats, it was Dirk’s first lob dunk since 2004. On the bench, the aerial feat and pose drew wild laughter from West teammates Tim Duncan and Russell Westbrook.
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“The guys are killing me,” Nowitzki told ESPN Radio during the game. “They said the last alley-oop dunk I had was in the Hoop Summit in ’98.”
Nowitzki’s dunk total so far in Dallas’ 55 regular-season games. Yep, one.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
