Dirk Nowitzki 's career with the Dallas Mavericks is well-documented. However, "Big Dirk's" career was not spared from lows. One of those came in 2007 after the 9th overall pick of the 1998 Draft won the Most Valuable Player award.
Given the Mavs' run in the regular season, it initially appeared that this would be the year Dallas finally bagged its first NBA championship. Unfortunately, Nowitzki struggled in the postseason and was unable to lead his team past the 8th-seeded Golden State Warriors.
The Mavericks were shockingly eliminated in the first round in six games. Dirk, who had been putting up big numbers in the regular season (24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists), had a big dip in his performance in the playoffs.
The German's big thorn in that series was Stephen Jackson. Stack defended Dirk well, so his performance took a dip. Nowitzki admitted that because of his poor showing, he was at a low point in his career .
"I'm playing my best basketball, and we run into a hot team with Golden State, and we're losing the first round, and in a way, I was more disappointed, frustrated after that loss than I was after the Finals loss. That was, I think, the low point of my career," Nowitzki explained .
Bittersweet MVP
Despite that unceremonious exit, Nowitzki still went on to win the 2007 MVP award. It was a bittersweet accomplishment for the German national, who admitted he had mixed feelings, especially since he and the Mavs were not part of the playoffs.
"Even when I heard I was MVP, I was sad to watch all these playoff games and know that we're not a part of it," Nowitzki rued via NYT .
Dirk took that setback pretty hard. He admitted that it would take him time to get over it, which overshadowed his accomplishments in the 2006-07 season.
"I was trying to be positive and be really happy, but it's going to take a while for it to really sink in," he added.
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Feeding on failure
Nowitzki was able to get back to his feet after that stunning loss. He upped his averages, likely accepting that this failure would teach him to keep striving. His production would improve, making Dirk a prominent figure in the MVP race.
After four seasons, Nowitzki's hard work would pay off. Dallas would face the fancied Miami Heat in the 2011 Finals. Odds favored the South Beach squad, especially with LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade leading the charge.
Instead, the Mavs pulled a shocker of their own over the highly-touted squad. Dallas defeated Miami in five games to win its first NBA crown. Nowitzki was hailed as the Finals MVP of that final.
After that 2011 title run, the Mavs changed key players of that team left. Nowitzki was still around, but Dallas was unable to surround the German star with the right personnel. Regardless, Nowitzki proved he could still be efficient if fielded in. Although his production faded, his numbers were still notable. Big Dirk called it a career in 2019, ending a well-accomplished career that any NBA player would be envious of.
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