As he meekly missed two shots and generally faded into the background, it was again confirmed on Sunday night that no player in the history of NBA All-Star Weekend has ever been more awkward, uncomfortable and generally out of his element than Dirk Nowitzki.
Penguins at Dallas’ Fourth of July Fireworks would be more at home.
Why?
Because Dirk is a player, not a playa. His legendary game is built on head-fakes and glued to the hardwood. His style game isn’t above the rim and his ego isn’t off the charts. He’s never in his life called for an alley-oop, he doesn’t own a multicolored suit and he couldn’t tell Snoop Dogg from Diddy.
At 35, he played in his 12th All-Star Game last night. Being named to the team is still an honor. But at this point actually playing in the game is a glitzy nuisance.
In a playground game that featured zero blocked shots and a record-breaking 318 points, Dirk scored exactly none of them. He took two shots, grabbed one rebound and played a game-low 8:26, none in the second half. In other words, for him – and for Mavs fans who more want him to produce Tuesday night against the Miami Heat – it was the perfect All-Star Game.
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 writes a sports/guy stuff blog at DFWSportatorium.com and lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
