by the time you read this, you'll probably have also read or watched highlights from the dallas mavericks' improbable comeback against the golden state warriors, outscoring them 15-0 with 3 minutes to go to save their season.
and much will probably be said or written about how eventual NBA MVP dirk nowitzki lead them to this win.
you'll read that because people are idiots.
here's the real breakdown:
nowitzki was nowhere to be seen throughout the entire second half, when his team lost their lead, when they needed him most. before the final three minutes, he shot the ball twice in the second half - when his team was struggling. he was invisible.
still, he came through at the end, scoring 10 of those 15.
but here's the thing of it: he didn't win the game. golden state blew it.
you see, they didn't score in the final three minutes. without that, nowitzki is a player who folds, who disappears, who only shows up when the game is over.
if golden state doesn't stop rotating the ball immediately after baron davis gets trapped, causing the mavs to scramble to find the open man but being one pass behind the play that leads to a wide-open three, you know, doing the things that got them a 9 point lead and a 3-1 series lead, well, dirk's MVP trophy would be worthless right now, and his legacy tarnished.
i guess what i'm saying is that dallas' win had little to do with dirk nowitzki, even though that's all you'll hear.
if golden state continued to attack the hoop instead of milking the clock, if they continued to pass instead of holding for one, if they just kept on playing the way they played for 45 minutes, the stories would be totally different.
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