# Dirk scoring title



## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...avs/stories/030908dnspomavslede.37324d38.html

*Nowitzki sets points record in Dallas Mavericks' win

* *05:01 AM CDT on Sunday, March 9, 2008

* *By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News 
[email protected] * No more excuses. No more "sucking on that pacifier." 
That was the message Mavericks coach Avery Johnson got across to his team before Saturday night's game against New Jersey. 
It sunk in. 
The Mavericks played with a passion that had been missing against Houston two nights earlier. They played with a defensive intensity that had been sporadic or absent since the trade. 
And along the way, Dirk Nowitzki became the leading scorer in franchise history.

It's too early to say the Mavericks snapped out of their funk with Saturday's 111-91 victory over the Nets. But they did snap a three-game losing streak and carved another notch in the win column in this fierce Western Conference playoff race. 
"I thought this was one of our biggest games of the year, considering where we are in the standings, considering where we are at this point of the season," Johnson said. 
The players spoke of the need for a renewed energy and commitment before the game. Johnson pointed to the extra video sessions and classwork that had taken place behind the scenes since the team added five new players in the last 2 ½ weeks. 
"At some point, some things are going to have to start clicking," Johnson said, "especially the basic A's, B's and C's of what we're all about." 
One of those basics is defense, an area that has undergone a noticeable slippage. 
A defense that allowed an average of 110.7 points in its previous four games sliced nearly 20 points off that average against the Nets. Houston and Utah, the last teams to beat the Mavericks, combined to shoot 56.2 percent from the field. 
New Jersey managed to shoot just 38.6 percent from the field. The Mavericks built an 18-point lead in the first half because they held Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson to a total of 10 points on 4-of-20 shooting from the field. 
And then there's Nowitzki. He returned from his one-game league suspension to score 34 points and pass Rolando Blackman on the club's all-time scoring list. His turnaround jumper over two New Jersey defenders with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter did the trick. 
"Now is no time to stop and think about what you've done or what you've accomplished," Nowitzki said. "You've got to keep going. We only have 19 games left." 
Johnson took Nowitzki out of the game seconds later to a standing ovation. The game ended with confetti being dropped from the rafters to celebrate the scoring record. 
"It was a pretty strong moment," Johnson said. 
But it wasn't just defense and Nowitzki that gave this team a much needed jump-start. Jerry Stackhouse started in the Mavericks' backcourt for the first time in more than four months. Johnson indicated that would continue. 
"It's something we're thinking about," said Johnson, who moved Jason Terry back to the bench. "We've had some issues with starting both of our point guards together, especially with [Jason] Kidd at the two-guard spot." 
Johnson also rested starters Josh Howard and Kidd earlier than usual. He used 11 players in the first quarter and was unusually democratic in the way he distributed minutes. Ten players saw more than seven minutes of action by halftime. 
"We're trying to cure our ills," said Stackhouse, who finished with 20 points. "Winning is a cure-all. 
"We need to string together a couple of wins and start feeling good about what we're doing on the court."


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

It's hard to fathom that only Kobe and Iverson have scored more points since he broke into the league in '98-'99. :clap:


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

Not to mention he's been on fire since Kidd's arrival...


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

Yep, He's been playing with that fire in his eye lately. Now all we have to do is get some wins.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Ninjatune said:


> Yep, He's been playing with that fire in his eye lately. Now all we have to do is get some wins.


Screw the wins; it’s all about personal accolades. :raised_ey

Seriously, reaching 20k is what only 32 players have done - and getting higher up that list gives the fan that watched that player pride, more so than if your team won a title 20 some years ago, imo.

Not that I would have any knowledge of that. :sadbanana:


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

Wow, already at 20,000. He could be in the top 5 by the time his career's over.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Dre™ said:


> Wow, already at 20,000. He could be in the top 5 by the time his career's over.


Nah, 16,600 and some change. :sadbanana:

But some say he's got just as many in front as behind, so he could get into some elite territory. Seems like Kobe has a really nice seeding being the man, as well as getting the early start like he did.

I love history. :angel:


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

Oh...I saw your previous post and figured he had gotten to 20K. 

I say he's got a good 7-9 years left though. I'm not sure how many of them will be at a high level.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

Dre™ said:


> Oh...I saw your previous post and figured he had gotten to 20K.
> 
> I say he's got a good 7-9 years left though. I'm not sure how many of them will be at a high level.


If he goes back to being a pure shooter, his PPG might actually go up.


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

Errr, a Marion avatar Ed? Has it gotten THAT bad?


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

20k is really hard to get to, and guys like Kareem, Karl, and MJ make you really marvel at their level of production over a long period of time.


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## Match_Germany (Apr 9, 2003)

xray said:


> 20k is really hard to get to, and guys like Kareem, Karl, and MJ make you really marvel at their level of production over a long period of time.



That´s right. But I can image him being a top-shooting-role player later in his career (with high PPG), because of his size.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

Ninjatune said:


> Errr, a Marion avatar Ed? Has it gotten THAT bad?


:lol:

I wanted to change one, but.... can't say I am a fan of anybody right now.

Then I remembered how much I hate the way Marion shoots the ball.....


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

xray said:


> Screw the wins; it’s all about personal accolades. :raised_ey
> 
> Seriously, reaching 20k is what only 32 players have done - and getting higher up that list gives the fan that watched that player pride, more so than if your team won a title 20 some years ago, imo.
> 
> Not that I would have any knowledge of that. :sadbanana:


some prestige is what this franchise absolutely needs too...we have very little


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

So IS Dirk the greatest Mav of all time?


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

I reluctantly say Yes.


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