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 I was a young teenager sick and tired of rooting for the Lakers, even after all the success of the threepeat and that jazz. The Kobe Bryant rape case had really soured me on the entire team, and I was sick of Kobe and Shaq having their dumb feud, sick of the constant drama, and itching to find a new hero. And then I found him. Getting his face smashed in going to the basket, where he quickly ran to the locker room to plug the geyser of blood coming from his face and then immediately go on playing like nothing mattered. I'd known who Dirk Nowitzki was before then, mainly through video games, as an okayish Euro big, but the loving Viking who took a slam in the face and kept going immediately inspired me. This dude, I thought, owns. It was a fun time to be a Mavs fan. They really felt like the United Nations of basketball teams, with Chinese and Mexican nationals on it, Mark Cuban being a (at the time somewhat charming) dick, the jerseys not looking so faded-out for once. And then Steve Nash left, which felt like a wind taken from the sails. But Dirk remained and the team got to the finals in 2006 only to get hosed up by... Shaq? Dammit, Shaq! And that felt like the golden opportunity. Until five years later, when I was in college, watching them go at it again, the Heat again, this time with LeBron, the actual greatest of all time... and they did the drat thing. And Dirk rushed off into the locker room so no one could see him cry. And it was one of the most fulfilling things I've ever seen in my life. A decade of watching this guy, watching him get denied over and over, for him to finally get that championship... it was beautiful.  For many people, Dirk will always be this guy, the dude jumping back and hitting the surprise three that no one could stop. But I'll always remember him from when I fell in love... with red smeared all over his face, and him just shrugging and coming back for more. Dirk Nowitzki was, is, and always will be my favorite basketball player ever.
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Apr 10, 2019 01:14
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I really hope he decides to stick around another year, he's still a ton of fun to watch
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Apr 10, 2019 01:15
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When I saw this on TV, I jumped up and let the guitar I was playing drop to the floor and crack. Still worth it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE73N0Nbjhw I'm so glad Dirk has a ring. One of my pet projects is a big video essay on the 2011 Dallas playoff run and Dirk's journey is a massive reason why. DMCrimson fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Apr 10, 2019 |
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Apr 10, 2019 04:24
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dirk fuckin' rules
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Apr 10, 2019 04:32
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the thing i will treasure most about dirk were his numerous ill-advised hair styles
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Apr 10, 2019 04:35
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I know Dirk worship probably seems ridiculous to a lot of non-Mavs fans but growing up watching this completely weird, unique, excellent player was incredibly meaningful to me. I don't even really know what to post about him. He's the best and I'm glad I've spent the last two decades stanning for him through thick and thin.
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Apr 10, 2019 04:43
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Dutchy posted:I know Dirk worship probably seems ridiculous to a lot of non-Mavs fans but growing up watching this completely weird, unique, excellent player was incredibly meaningful to me. I don't even really know what to post about him. He's the best and I'm glad I've spent the last two decades stanning for him through thick and thin. Why would it?
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Apr 10, 2019 04:44
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I posted something similar in the gdt, but my sports consciousness in DFW begins with Dirk. I was 6 when he started and now I'm a grown rear end adult. I will always love my big weird Uncle Fester rear end Mavs GOAT. Great send-off for him tonight. Wow.
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Apr 10, 2019 04:53
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DeimosRising posted:Why would it? I dunno, I guess I could see a people finding a lot of this kinda saccharine or something. I'm probably wrong about that, everyone loves Dirk
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Apr 10, 2019 05:07
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As a child growing up in the Houston area, I idolized Hakeem Olajuwon because who the gently caress wouldn't. That said, I didn't truly care about sports on their own, rarely watched any of them, and just latched onto a couple of big names. My true adoration for Olajuwon wouldn't come until post-2007 when I went back and fully realized just why the guy was a legend. I remember as I started following the Dallas Mavericks after moving to the DFW area, I joked with friends that Dirk Nowitzki was a magical man but I doubt he could ever live up to my childlike love of Hakeem Olajuwon. Then 2011 happened. Only a serious sports fan of 4 years, which is no better than a baby as far as fans go, but jesus christ. You just don't get it more storybook than this. Jason Terry is a galactic brained moron who called the most insane shot with a championship tattoo to start the season. A team of players everyone doubted for various reasons. Their making the playoffs was no shock: the Mavs seemingly couldn't fail to make the playoffs around that time. Beating the Trailblazers was totally doable, but it's still the playoffs and there's no guarantees when it comes to beatable teams. The absolute shitstomping of the Lakers was a mind blowing, life changing experience. Kobe!? Phil Jackson!? They don't get swept! The Mavs weren't supposed to be able to pull that off! Then the Thunder, with loving Durant, Westbrook, and James Harden. The Mavs beat them, and in hindsight that's probably more shocking to me than the sweep of the Lakers. The Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals, and waiting for them was none other than the same organization that STOLE their last big chance at a championship: The Miami Heat. They had Lebron James now. So there's Dirk Nowitzki. The leader of the team. The loving monster of the team. His shots were unfair. That fadeaway. That absolute, 100% certainty that he would make you pay on the free throw line. His glorious hairstyles that were all very good, well thought out and very attractive to everyone in the NBA and ITT. You fucks. Dirk was just a hero. There's no other way to describe him. No bragging, no relishing the limelight, Dirk just wanted to win it all. He was so close the last time. He had to have it, he HAD to reach the top of the mountain. And so he did. I won't waste my time going through all the games, with the comically villainous James and Wade, the poo poo talk of Charles Barkley being the only dude on TV to believe the Mavs had the advantage, the absolute long shot of the Dallas Mavericks beating the brand new super team in Miami. Dirk put in the work, made the shots he always did, his team played out of their minds, and the title was won. Dirk did it. He had a ring, he had a giant trophy, and boy oh boy did that giant man drunkenly sing throughout most of Miami and Dallas. He was like a big dumb kid. Post 2011, most of the story with the Dallas Mavericks involves dumb front office decisions, frustrating playoff berths, and overall a serious decline from that storybook championship win. There was one thing that never changed though: Dirk was there. He would make his shots, he would always choose the best hairstyles to impress everyone, he would play out of his mind from time to time, and really that's all he would do. Dirk didn't do commercials, really. Not a particularly outspoken dude. He took team-friendly contracts and deals, making sure his money didn't prevent the Mavericks from being competitive (  ). Dirk did things his way, his dorky, self-deprecating way, and he's got a career with just one team in the NBA, an achievement I just don't think we'll see much of anymore.Dirk Nowitzki is a bigger deal to me than Hakeem Olajuwon. This isn't a comparison between the two. Dirk represents something more real to me, as I was old enough and cared enough to fully follow and enjoy the experience. When I think of "Dallas Sports," I don't think of Staubach, Aikman, Smith, Romo, Modano, or [insert legendary FC Dallas player here]. I think of Dirk Nowitzki. The...."Tall Baller from the G." Swish 41. Monster dork. I love Dirk. I will miss him playing on the court. That said, I just don't think there's much he has to regret. I hope he retires with a smile on his face. As a parting gift, I'd like to submit the only Kanye West song I will never tire of, because of this stupid goddamn video: https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/778963958493392896
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Apr 11, 2019 01:43
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Here are some Dirk highlights. I'll post more probably because I think watching Dirk highlights is all I'm gonna do for the next forever or so https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-YKhZ-B_OQ This is in German. A lot of old Dirk stuff is in German. Anyway this was 2001, the first trip to the playoffs for the Dirk-Nash-Finley Mavs, facing the Jazz in the first round. Stockton and Malone were getting up there a bit but they were still Stockton and Malone, and winning in Utah often felt like the world's most impossible task, so when the Jazz took a 2-0 lead that felt like it was it. Then Dirk dropped 33 in a close one. Then Dirk dropped 33 in a blowout. And then, uh, he went 3-11, but the Mavs won the game and the series!! They'd then lose to the dastardly Spurs in 5 (Dirk had 42 in the last game) but it felt like an arrival. This weird experiment was working. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56KpIkgCzqw Dirk and KG only met once in the playoffs and they were both crazy. Dirk averaged 33-16 on 53/72/89 and KG averaged 24-19-5 on 43/50/72. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CEkiqEJmys This is just a cool random game from 2004. Dirk and T-Mac go off, and the Mavs should wear green again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgkqL_YhzSQ Here's Dirk vs Duncan, 2006 2nd round, game 7. 37-15 for Dirk, 41-15 for Duncan. People, myself include, think about the Finals when they think about 2006, but before that ended in a splat, Dirk was playing some of the best basketball of his career, and this game in particular is one of the best and most exciting I've ever watched. I'm not an animated sports fan really, I just post, but Dirk's and-one at the end of regulation had me literally jumping around the room. It felt like the breakthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H98LgMpzzMA Another round to play before the Finals, though. This is Dirk scoring 50 against Phoenix in game 6. And then we all entered a mysterious time warp for a few years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvQ5o8d9s38 2011 WCF Game 1 vs OKC. 48 points, 24/24 from the line. Poor Serge Ibaka, man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmVOEhrzelM 2011 WCF Game 4, 40 points. I go back and watch 2011 playoff games every once and a while, and even more than the Game 2 Finals comeback against the Heat or the clincher, this is the one I come back to. The Thunder took a 15 point lead with less than five to go, and the Mavs go on a 17-2 run, with 12 from Dirk. The two shots starting at about 4:10 are probably my two favorite Dirk shots. One will make a much prettier statue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxAL3lzwsbU 2011 Finals Game 2 comeback. More a team effort than a Dirk highlight reel (at least til the end) but also the moment I stopped ironically thinking it might really happen as self-defense against the inevitable and started thinking it might actually really happen
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Apr 11, 2019 05:29
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I watched Dirk close out the Heat in 2011 drunk in a bar at ~11am in Beijing and it's one of my favorite basketball memories
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Apr 11, 2019 06:22
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https://gfycat.com/secondaryclassicdachshund
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Apr 11, 2019 08:39
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