ESPN Breaking News-Dirk MVP

[kps0001]

lame but I knew it was coming.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

lame but I knew it was coming.

Any word on how close the vote was?

 

[Dback Jon]

 

[Gee!]

Updated: May 10, 2007, 10:59 PM ET
Mavs' Nowitzki will receive MVP trophy next week
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com


It appears that the worst-kept secret in the NBA will be out in the open by early next week.

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, whose coronation as the first European-born Most Valuable Player in NBA history has been expected for weeks, is scheduled to officially receive the MVP trophy at a Tuesday news conference in Dallas, ESPN.com has learned.

The NBA has handed out its past three MVPs -- two straight to Phoenix's Steve Nash after Minnesota's Kevin Garnett won in 2004 -- at the start of the second round. But it's believed the league opted to put some distance between Nowitzki's ceremony and the Mavericks' stunning first-round exit against Golden State.

By the time Nowitzki collects his award, nearly two weeks will have elapsed since the 67-win Mavs became the just the third No. 1 seed in NBA history to lose to a No. 8 seed. The previous two No. 1 seeds to lose so quickly, however, suffered five-game exits as opposed to losing a seven-game series: Seattle in 1994 to Denver and Miami in 1999 to New York.

Said Nowitzki, reached by phone Thursday night: "Nobody's told me anything. You [media] guys have been talking about it for a while, so let's see what happens.

"[But] it's hard to even think about that stuff right now. Everything [from the Golden State series] is still pretty fresh. It's been some tough days since we lost.

"I thought this was such an incredible year. We won 67 games and then to lose in the first round, it just feels so empty right now."

Asked to imagine what an MVP ceremony would be like after such a disappointment, Nowitzki said: "If I do get it, it's an incredible honor. I'm sure 20 years from now or whatever, to see that in the [record] books, it's an amazing achievement. But right now, it's hard. Obviously, you can't feel good about the way our season ended."

Nowitzki averaged 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and a career-best 3.4 assists during the regular season and was the only player in the league to shoot at least 50 percent from the field (.502), 40 percent from 3-point range (.416) and 90 percent from the free-throw line (.904). His percentages in each of those categories were career highs, helping Nowitzki secure his third successive berth on the All-NBA first team, which was announced earlier Thursday.

But it all changed in the playoffs against longtime mentor Don Nelson, who crafted a defensive strategy -- which included constant double-teaming, largely by fronting Nowitzki and then sending over help defenders on his catches -- that the 7-footer and Mavs coach Avery Johnson never solved. Nowitzki scored just eight points on 2-for-13 shooting in Dallas' Game 6 elimination and wound up averaging a mere 19.7 points for the series on 38.3-percent shooting and just 21.1 percent on 3s.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

 

[Dback Jon]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2866994

Gee - you beat me too it.


Dirk will never win another. No non-dallas sports writer will ever vote him #1 again.

 

[dodie53]

congrats dirk..

 

[PHX 32]

 

[Ryanwb]

I'll take Finals MVP over regular season MVP any day of the week

 

[cly2tw]

Dirk deserves it for the regular season, as well as Nash and Duncan. I have no problem that he wins it, and I'm sure our own Nash would be genuinely happy for him too.

Some people blame Mavs' playoff failure on Dirk, but I think it's not really fair. Dirk is what Dirk is, there is no secret about it. In particular, he is no Kobe, no Nash, no Duncan, and certainly no Wade. Its their team composition and game plan in general that doomed the Mavs with Dirk as their best player.

On offense, only Warriors and maybe Nugs have as few structure as Mavs. Their only strategy is a simple screen and switch and up goes the one on one play. Yet, the other teams have surer go-to guys in Davis, AI, Antony which Mavs lack. On defense, they have a lot of holes. They could win 67 games because they have the highest average talent without excellence in any area.

So, Warriors are the type of team Mavs are predestined to fail against. They actually can match on average talent. All players on court can guard any player on the Mavs so that the simple switching doesn't gain them any matchup advantage. And Nellie simply knows all their shortcomings. So, once having the Mavs defensively under control, a Baron Davis, or Wade from last year, is the difference maker. And the Mavs are doomed.

 

[azdad1978]

Boooo!

 

[azdad1978]

I'll take Finals MVP over regular season MVP any day of the week

As long as Nash hoist the NBA championship I agree with Ryan

 

[Steel Sun]

Boooo!

Agreed!!!

 

[arwillan]

lucky for dirk, its only a regular season award. otherwise i think nash would have it easily.

like you have stated, finals mvp > regular season mvp, especially when youve won the past 2 mvps in a row.

 

[dodie53]

i'll take championship trophy over mvp trophies

 

[azirish]

On ESPN radio, one of their commentators who lives in Dallas said what many of us have concluded: the Mavs despirately need a real PG.

Funny, I seem to remember they used to have one.

 

[AussieCardinal]

Bad Choice

 

[CaptainInsano]

 

[SirStefan32]

This is BLEEPING bullBLEEP if I've ever BLEEPING seen lone.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TucsonDevil]

Congrats Dirk, your team had a great season. Though it ended early, during the regular season, Dallas truly dominated.

 

[mjb21aztd]

i hope dirk enjoys this trophy thats if they can find out where hes hiding after choking in the 1st round of the playoffs which a true mvp wouldnt let happen. But I would rather see nash hold a championship trophy rather then a mvp award trophy

 

[Covert Rain]

It just goes to show how idiotic those media members were who decided to auto-cast their vote for the best player on the best team or who voted for Dirk because they didn't want Nash to get 3.

 

[Spursforever]

Kobe deserved that trophy this year.

 

[Mulli]

Dirk, the new Andre Dawson.

 

[chickenhead]

I'll echo the others: I hope Nash is trading his MVP award for the championship this year.

 

[Chaplin]

I know everyone's upset that Nash didn't win it, but Dirk deservedly won the award--it could have gone to either one. Why be upset? Nash already is one up on Dirk seeing as how his team is still in the playoffs.

And anybody wondering about the presentation--it will most likely be presented next season during halftime (my guess would be during the Mavs' home opener).