I was reading Hollinger's breakdown on Dirk and even though i knew his perfomance in last years playoff was basically what he's always done in the post season i was still shocked at his effeciency rating.
I personally don't think he's better skill wise....i think his basketball IQ is what makes him a better player at 33 than he was at 28
He might very well have 1-2 Elite seasons left in his game
Hollinger on Dirk
DIRK NOWITZKI, PF
Projection: 24.6 pts, 7.8 reb, 2.8 ast per 40 min; 21.09 PER | Player card
• Nimble 7-footer with devastating midrange jumper and unblockable fadeaway.
• Moves well on defense but lacks strength. Not a leaper.
• Great going left and quickly pulling up for shot. Rarely turns ball over.
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Nowitzki's 2010-11 postseason actually wasn't out of line with what he's done in several other playoff seasons; it just had a much happier ending. He's been doing this for years -- his career playoff PER is higher than his regular-season mark, a boast very few players can make. However, because he finally won a title after countless years of falling short, everybody was looking for "the difference" … but Nowitzki didn't really do anything different.
Nowitzki remains among the game's most devastating offensive weapons thanks to the relatively simple concept that he generates a lot of points from relatively few possessions. It's not just that he averaged 26.9 points per 40 minutes, a fearsome stat in itself, but that he did it with such staggering efficiency. Nowitzki again had among the lowest turnover rates at his position, and his true shooting percentage of 61.7 is mind-boggling for a midrange shooter. He basically turns the game's normal percentages on their head.
I can't stress this enough: You're not supposed to shoot this many long 2s and still have good percentages. For every other player in every other league in the entire world, the long 2-pointer is the worst shot in basketball. But it's not if you're Dirk Nowitzki. He was the second best in the league at shooting from 10-23 feet last season, but the even more amazing part is in the "attempts" column -- he took nearly 10 a game. Well more than half his shots were long 2s.
Unlike the rest of the planet, Nowitzki is so uncannily accurate that he can dominate games this way. Defenders routinely foul him trying to pressure his shot or by leaving their feet due to the threat of the shot. Opponents send double-teams to prevent it, creating openings for others. And as a result, he was arguably the most valuable offensive player in basketball last season. Certainly he is for Dallas' system -- the Mavs scored 10.27 points fewer per 100 possessions when he left the court last season, a staggering figure that's been pretty steady over the past half-decade.
I personally don't think he's better skill wise....i think his basketball IQ is what makes him a better player at 33 than he was at 28
He might very well have 1-2 Elite seasons left in his game
Hollinger on Dirk
DIRK NOWITZKI, PF
Projection: 24.6 pts, 7.8 reb, 2.8 ast per 40 min; 21.09 PER | Player card
• Nimble 7-footer with devastating midrange jumper and unblockable fadeaway.
• Moves well on defense but lacks strength. Not a leaper.
• Great going left and quickly pulling up for shot. Rarely turns ball over.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nowitzki's 2010-11 postseason actually wasn't out of line with what he's done in several other playoff seasons; it just had a much happier ending. He's been doing this for years -- his career playoff PER is higher than his regular-season mark, a boast very few players can make. However, because he finally won a title after countless years of falling short, everybody was looking for "the difference" … but Nowitzki didn't really do anything different.
Nowitzki remains among the game's most devastating offensive weapons thanks to the relatively simple concept that he generates a lot of points from relatively few possessions. It's not just that he averaged 26.9 points per 40 minutes, a fearsome stat in itself, but that he did it with such staggering efficiency. Nowitzki again had among the lowest turnover rates at his position, and his true shooting percentage of 61.7 is mind-boggling for a midrange shooter. He basically turns the game's normal percentages on their head.
I can't stress this enough: You're not supposed to shoot this many long 2s and still have good percentages. For every other player in every other league in the entire world, the long 2-pointer is the worst shot in basketball. But it's not if you're Dirk Nowitzki. He was the second best in the league at shooting from 10-23 feet last season, but the even more amazing part is in the "attempts" column -- he took nearly 10 a game. Well more than half his shots were long 2s.
Unlike the rest of the planet, Nowitzki is so uncannily accurate that he can dominate games this way. Defenders routinely foul him trying to pressure his shot or by leaving their feet due to the threat of the shot. Opponents send double-teams to prevent it, creating openings for others. And as a result, he was arguably the most valuable offensive player in basketball last season. Certainly he is for Dallas' system -- the Mavs scored 10.27 points fewer per 100 possessions when he left the court last season, a staggering figure that's been pretty steady over the past half-decade.
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