Dirk Nowitzki talked to us (Part I)

The championship still motivates me. We were so close in 2006 in the Finals against Miami … It’s so much fun playing in the playoffs … playing right until the end … on the big stage … it still hurts that we lost back then. That was indescribable. That was the hardest loss I have ever suffered. I still think about it. And some time I want to get that bad taste out of my mouth. There are awesome players who have never won a ring. And people say: “He was great, but he never led his team to a title.” I don’t want people to say that about me.

It’s no secret that not every NBA player prepares so hard in the summer. How do you deal with it when a teammate does not invest as much time and sweat as you during the summer for the common goal?

I know I’m not in an individual sport. If I were in track and field maybe I would have won something big by now. But I am not. I decided for a team sport and I always had more fun in a team. I tried the other way with tennis. That’s what makes it a challenge, playing away from your weaknesses or attacking those of your opponents. That’s what makes a team sport attractive. Finding a way to win despite your own weaknesses is important. But, sure it’s bitter sometimes when a teammate doesn’t invest the necessary time. The best example was Shawn Bradley. He would some times come to training camp and not had a ball in his hands for four months. But what can you do? There is no rule. Everyone needs to figure out for themselves how to stay fit.

Well, we wanted a playmaker who had been around and already seen everything. I also hoped that Coach (Avery Johnson) would let him play his way, that we would play quicker and have more fun. But just the opposite happened. Avery pushed his style on Jason. It was tough throwing a guy like him into a system which he didn’t really like. How could Jason play his best in that system against the good teams from the West? It’s kind of funny though that Jason held his own defensively. He still has incredibly quick hands.

Good question. I hoped that new players would have brought a new wind into the team. After the loss I said Mark Cuban had the right to get rid of everybody and start all over again. That was construed that I wanted to leave the Mavericks. I was misunderstood. But now we are playing with the same team but just a different coach.

But the race for the playoffs will certainly not be easy this season. And last year you didn’t book your playoff ticket until the last minute …

The West is really tough. But that makes it exciting, that you have to go all out every night to win. Still, just reaching the playoffs cannot be our goal.

Not even reaching the playoffs? I am too old for that now. And Mark Cuban and General Manager Donnie Nelson know that. I cannot imagine us making any moves which would cost us a spot in the playoffs. We still have a playoff-caliber team. And even if things absolutely do not work out with Kidd, I cannot imagine that we would drastically make the team younger as long as I’m in Dallas.

Of course it would be more exciting to do it in Dallas and being the franchise player. The best thing would be me carrying the team to the title. But the other teams have gotten so strong, also through some unfair trades – Pau Gasol to Los Angeles and Kevin Garnett to Boston. Maybe I will see if it helps changing teams in like three years. Maybe it won’t be fun any more or I can’t keep up with the athleticism anymore. Maybe I will play in Europe again. I can imagine all of that. What Karl Malone did back then – heading to L.A. after all those years in Utah – yeah it was a little questionable. But when you want the championship so bad, then you can’t rule out a move like that.

No. I still believe to this day that we had everything we needed to win the title in 2006. Dwayne Wade just played out of his mind, hit threes and got every whistle. I still think we were the better team.

Well, if it didn’t work for me in the end … I saw an interesting interview with Charles Barkely. He was talking about his career and said he can’t blame himself because he always gave 100 percent. That’s how I see it. I have given my all for the last 10 years in Dallas. And if that’s not enough, I can’t do anything else. Then at 35, 36 – however long I can go – I can retire and say: “In the summer and winter I gave everything I had for my team.” Unfortunately not everybody can win. But I hope that I can still fulfill my dream in the future.

Basketball is still fun for me. I would rather be in the gym than anywhere else. That’s why I can’t set an age limit. If at the end of my contract I see that I’m not having fun, then I will retire. I am in a very good situation that I don’t have to worry about money and have to play until I’m 38 because I don’t have a financial cushion. If basketball ever becomes work – if I say: “I don’t want to practice or play games any more” – then I will quit. I don’t want to wake up one day, drink my coffee and say: “Okay, I’m going to work.” And one day I will have a family. But that is a full-time job. I see that with my sister, who has two kids now. You have to be there every day. And I will not be the kind of dad who says: “Mom, take care of it, I’m leaving.” I want to be involved and be there for the kids. But that’s the plan for the next stage of life. I don’t want to just go to the beach or play golf.

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