Nowitzki: I’m in awe of James’ performance in his 20th season
Recently, “Sports Illustrated” NBA reporter Howard Beck released a cover report, criticizing the inaction of the Lakers management in terms of lineup construction, and the Lakers LeBron James became the cover character. Lone Ranger star Dirk Nowitzki accepted an interview and expressed his sympathy for what happened to James in the 20th season of his career. An excerpt is as follows:
But Nowitzki knew that as a 35-something NBA star, his time was running out.
Nowitzki said: “On a personal level, you’ve done everything you want to do — All-Star games and honors, All-NBA selections — but what you really want to do is win games. Do your best. To win more, to compete at the highest level. So it was a tough time.”
Even more difficult is that Nowitzki is still at the elite level. He finished in the top 10 in scoring in 2011-12, hit 41 percent of his 3-pointers in 2012-13 and set a career efficiency high in 2013-14. He’s still in the All-Star game. But what about the Mavericks? The Mavericks are dead — doomed by a mutiny, an aging roster and some bad bets.
So yes, Nowitzki now feels a familiar pain when he turns on the TV and sees LeBron James pass the ball to people who can’t shoot, force shots he shouldn’t, in order to He loses games at a speed beyond comprehension. “You can definitely see some frustration there,” Nowitzki said.
Before Nowitzki began to decline, the Mavericks had not found a suitable star partner for him, which made the challenge even greater. His last moment of real glory came in 2014, at age 35, when the eighth-seeded Mavericks dragged the (eventual champion) Spurs to Game 7 in the first round. “We pushed them to the brink,” Nowitzki said. “In another game, with one or two different ball trajectories, we might have made the cut.”
At that time, Nowitzki’s strength was weakening. They never won another round of the series. But Nowitzki saw in James a star who could still support a championship contender.
Nowitzki said: “I was in awe of his (James) performance in the 20th season. I mean, when I played the 20th season, the players were like pushing me with a wheelbarrow or something. Lift it up and down.”
Looking back, Nowitzki says he endured it all because he believed in Cuban and general manager Donnie Nelson, and because, no matter what the circumstances, he was committed to the team and the place he spent. felt loyal to the city he had spent his entire career in.
Nowitzki said: “Stay with the plan and not leave during the difficult times. James decided to stay there and make it work. It’s part of the job. You have to overcome some difficult times and find ways to use your experience to Turn things around.”