Kobe: Always had respect for Dirk Nowitzki
That comes from no less of an authority than Kobe Bryant.
There was a ton of talk about the new, improved tougher version of the big German while Nowitzki led the Mavs to the franchise’s first title. That was a bunch of bull, according to a man with five championship rings worth of credibility.
And Bryant didn’t need to be on the broom end of a West semifinals sweep to develop that kind of respect for Dirk.
"I always knew he was cold,'' Bryant said after the Lakers’ Wednesday shootaround at the American Airlines Center. "I never understood people who thought otherwise. I thought maybe they just don't have the proper knowledge of the game.
“Anybody who can watch Dirk play and not understand what his value is or how good he is I believe doesn't belong in a reasonable basketball conversation.''
Bryant referred to the Mavs as a “measuring stick” for the Lakers. However, he scoffed when asked whether being swept by the Mavs – a series that ended with a 36-point rout – affected the Lakers mystique.
"It's tough to put a dent in mystique with all those banners,'' Bryant said. "That's tough to do. But they had a great year last year, they played extremely well. They kicked our butts, that's for darn sure.
“But we're going to be back at it. We're middle of the pack right now. But we have aspirations of being there again in June and seeing this team in the playoffs.''
Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas.com- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Worked at Dallas Morning News for six years
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Jeff Caplan
Jeff Caplan joined ESPNDallas.com in December 2009. Jeff covers the Mavericks, Rangers and colleges. He has a wealth of experience in the area, covering multiple beats in his 11-plus years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
Marc Stein
Marc Stein began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 as Senior NBA Writer. He also makes regular appearances on "SportsCenter," "NBA Shootaround," "NBA Fastbreak," "NBA Coast To Coast," ESPNEWS, ESPN "First Take" and ESPN Radio.
Jeff "Skin" Wade
Jeff Wade joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of "The Ben & Skin Show," heard weekdays from 9a-12p on 103.3 FM ESPN, and also works as sideline analyst for the TV broadcast of all Maverick home games.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast ESPN's Stephen A. Smith chimes in on the Dallas Mavericks' season, their free agency plans and more.
Play Podcast Mike and Mike join Ben and Skin to discuss Jerry Jones' window and the Mavs future. They don't see Dirk Nowitzki leaving even if the Mavs miss out on the dream of Deron Williams or Dwight Howard.
Play Podcast Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki says he's too old to stay with a rebuilding franchise but couldn't imagine himself leaving the city of Dallas.
Play Podcast Is the Dwight Howard to the Mavs dream alive? Dwight still wants out of Orlando and it could open the door for the Mavs to put a proposal together.
Play Podcast Mavs guard Delonte West dishes on his desire to return to the Mavs, his relationship with Lebron James and how he ended up hanging out with Dez Bryant over the weekend.
Play Podcast Ben and Skin discuss the three most important figures for the Rangers, Mavs, and Cowboys. Who is the most vital to the ultimate success of each organization?
TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Dirk Nowitzki
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | S. Marion | 7.4 | ||||||||||
| Assists | J. Kidd | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| Steals | J. Kidd | 1.7 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | B. Wright | 1.3 | ||||||||||
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