# Dirk, is that you?



## The Future7 (Feb 24, 2005)

> *Bowen bugs, hugs Dirk
> By Chris Sheridan, ESPN Insider
> 
> SAN ANTONIO* -- Bruce Bowen didn't merely drape himself all over Dirk Nowitzki's body. He also crawled into his head.
> ...



Why is Dirk not showing any confidence?
Full Story


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

The Future7 said:


> Why is Dirk not showing any confidence?
> Full Story


I think Dirk is being humble.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

The Future7 said:


> Why is Dirk not showing any confidence?
> Full Story


yeah, he needs to put away mild-mannered Clark Dirk Kent and break out Gangsta Dirk!!!


on a more serious note, in game 2 we have to feed Dirk early and often...I expect after the descrepency in game 1 in the fouls called the refs will concentrate more on what Bowen is doing which will get him in foul trouble...after Bowen is in foul trouble theyll put Duncan on Dirk and I beleive we would benifit from those same calls...


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## afobisme (Apr 29, 2006)

duncan on dirk? sorry that's not going to happen. why would they let duncan waste all of his energy defending dirk? that wouldn't leave much for him to do on offense, plus it would take a legitamite shot blocker away from the point.


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## Cameron Crazy (Apr 25, 2006)

Dirk needs to defend Duncan...Dampier just cant handle him..


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

> He was a gnat with his hands and arms, keeping one or the other on Nowitzki at all times, grabbing and clutching occasionally, and with enough discretion, that the refs never called him on it.


Here's the thing...ok, Bowen was fouling and didn't get called. Everybody knows that, so let's move on. This still doesn't excuse Dirk's complete unwillingness to punish Bowen down low.

Something else we all know is that Dirk has the game of a shooting guard only in a 7 footer's body. While that is an amazing thing, it has both certain advantages and certain disadvantages.

When paired up against another big man, Dirk is able to play his 2-guard's game and dribble drive, dance around, and get good looking shots. But asking a 7 footer, even one as extremely mobile as Dirk, to dribble drive against another 7 footer is very, very different from doing the same against a guard. The guard is always going to be quicker, always going to be lower to the ground and better capable of making quick cuts and movements to cut off penetration, and probably fast hands if an opening to the ball presents itself. This is the whole reason why Dirk can't play against a small defender the same as a big one. This is why he has to at least back his man down around the free throw line and punish him by shooting over top thereby forcing the opponent to put a bigger man on him.

He must, must, must stop catching the ball out at the 3 point line when he has a guy like Bowen on him. He's killing himself with that. Catch the ball down low, let the double team come and punish it. What happens if Duncan comes over to double? There's nobody even close to being big enough to stop Damp or Diop from running to the front of the rim for a dunk. If Manu or Parker comes down then Terry, Josh, even Adrian can down the open look. Trust in your ability to pull the second defender and kick it out and trust in your teammate to hit his open looks. He's not making the second defender completely commit before he passes out, so you end up with a pass out to another guy who isn't really open because the second defender never had to move that far.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

Dragnsmke1 said:


> I expect after the descrepency in game 1 in the fouls called the refs will concentrate more on what Bowen is doing which will get him in foul trouble...after Bowen is in foul trouble theyll put Duncan on Dirk and I beleive we would benifit from those same calls...


I don't see this happening at all. Pop knows Duncan has no chance of stopping Dirk when he's dancing on the perimeter and driving. If Bowen gets foul trouble I say the'll stick Horry on Dirk.


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

I think this is stupid, Dirk is stupid. Dirk should just run in the paint before he even gets the ball and whoever is guarding JHo or Adrian Griffin should stay out of the paint. No way Bruce Bowen can defend Dirk in the paint.


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

t1no said:


> I think this is stupid, Dirk is stupid. Dirk should just run in the paint before he even gets the ball and whoever is guarding JHo or Adrian Griffin should stay out of the paint. No way Bruce Bowen can defend Dirk in the paint.


 I agree, Bruce is a great defender but no way he can take Dirk when he goes down low.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

when Bowen was in foul trouble they did put Duncan on Dirk...but it could also be that Dirk started palying in the paint at that juncture...


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

I'm not saying Dirk should low post Bruce Bowen, i'm saying that he should run in the paint (no way BB can stop Dirk from running inside the paint) and just wait for the ball. and if Duncan or Horry is guarding Griffin then Griffin should stay out of the paint so there defense wouldn't be as good.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

To beat Bruce Bowen, you gada do what Rip did in last year's playoffs to Bowen- be bowen. For every nudge, poke, jersey clutch, you got to give him two back. You got to get into his head before he gets into yours. You got to show him you won't be intemidated. Rip did what Ray Allen couldn't las year. He kept his cool, and instead of whining, he played the same hard D back. Dirk's gada do the same thing. Being humble or not, that's the wrong mind set. You can't let Bowen know that he's already won after only one game!


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Good post ezealen.

Although, Dirk did get handed with a Flagrant 2 foul (I didn't see it), for not much. The refs havent shaken the "soft Allas" image.

Dirk needs to take Bowen down low and elbow him, scrath him and karate kick him in the face (okay, maybe not that one) - and if Bowen goes out and Duncan guards him then run Duncan ragged and make him stop/start/turn on his ankle.

But I agree, what a ***** saying.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

ezealen said:


> To beat Bruce Bowen, you gada do what Rip did in last year's playoffs to Bowen- be bowen. For every nudge, poke, jersey clutch, you got to give him two back. You got to get into his head before he gets into yours. You got to show him you won't be intemidated. Rip did what Ray Allen couldn't las year. He kept his cool, and instead of whining, he played the same hard D back. Dirk's gada do the same thing. Being humble or not, that's the wrong mind set. You can't let Bowen know that he's already won after only one game!


A nice sentiment, but I've got a better chance asking Eva Longoria out. :banana: 

Dirk's other option is to beat Bowen with basketball, which I suspect he'll try first. Dirk's mentor was back in town to feed him the ball during shooting drills. Maybe he should've brought in George Foreman instead.


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

Dirk has to be himself for us to have a shot in this series. There is no need to get the ball at the 3 point line against bowen. Pick it up in the mid-post and work him down. If/When they send the double, find the open man like he has been doing all year. Eventually they will have to stop sending the double or switch to a bigger defender who he can take outside and off the dribble. 

There is no doubt that Bowen has a little chunk of Dirks head, but this is the year he has to work through it and get this monkey off his back for good. The loss hurt. As poorly as we played and as stellar as Duncan played, we still only lost by 2. My confidence is not broken, I still think we take this series, but it's going to be on Dirk. 

This is going to be an incredible 6 or 7 game series. Feels like the NBA Finals.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

TX_MAVFAN said:


> There is no need to get the ball at the 3 point line against bowen. Pick it up in the mid-post and work him down.


Dirk seems to struggle with a defender who puts an arm in his lower back when fighting for position. He really should work on that in practice. Seems like any defender no matter how big can Dirk off his spot by putting an arm right in that spot on his lower back.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/14535405.htm

*Spurs' defense has Dirk thinking of less offense*

*By RAY BUCK*

*Star-Telegram Staff Write*


SAN ANTONIO -- Dirk's Concession Stand is still open.

"I don't think I'm going to score 30-35 points a game in this series by the way [the Spurs] are playing me," Nowitzki said Monday.

Some worry that the Spurs have gotten inside Nowitzki's noggin.

"They're tending to double-team me as soon as I catch the ball," he said. "They're just trying to get the ball out of my hands as much as they can. You have to give them credit."

As if Sunday's two-point loss to the Spurs in Game 1 wasn't enough of a mood-wrecker for the Mavs, now their star player must deal with knowing that the best part of his game -- scoring -- has been taken away by 6-foot-7 defensive wizard Bruce Bowen.

Nowitzki first made the concession that he won't be having any 35-point games in this best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal after the tough loss.

Less than 24 hours later, his projection was down to "30-35 points" a game.

Nowitzki's solution is to come out more aggressively for Game 2 tonight at the AT&T Center. He plans to hit the boards and draw the double-team that should open up the passing lanes.

Rebounds and assists, of course, are the second- and third-best parts of Nowitzki's game, which is why the Spurs play him the way they do.

"They've forced me into shooting tough shots," said Nowitzki, who was 8-of-20 shooting in Game 1, including 3-of-11 in the second half. "When I try to spin, [Tim] Duncan or some big guy is coming from the baseline to try and trap me."

That keeps him on the perimeter, firing fadeaway jump shots with Bowen's hand in his face.

But coach Avery Johnson quelled the notion that his best scorer might have a defeatist attitude.

"I don't think it's a defeatist attitude," Johnson said. "I just think a lot of time when he's double-teamed and triple-teamed, you've just got to make your teammates better.

And vice-versa.

Jason Terry had a 6-of-18 shooting game with only one assist. Josh Howard scored only five of his 17 points over the final three quarters.

"We need everybody to play at a high level," Nowitzki said. "I mean, I'm not going to beat the San Antonio Spurs by myself."

When Dirk Nowitzki takes 20 shots and scores 20 points, as he did Sunday, that's a recipe for defeat.

The Mavs' centers -- DeSagana Diop or Erick Dampier -- need to step out and set hard picks on Bowen. But other than that, there isn't much else anyone can do for Nowitzki -- except Nowitzki.

"I think Dirk knows he could probably get better positioning than what he did in Game 1," Mavs swingman Jerry Stackhouse said. " I don't know if it's so much of us trying to free him. Our whole game plan is putting him at the elbow and letting him go to work.

"I think he's going to try to be more assertive and just accept more double-teams."

In the Mavericks' two wins over the Spurs this season, Nowitzki averaged 32 points on 52.3 percent shooting.

In their three losses, including Game 1, he has averaged 19 points on 35.4 percent shooting.

Nowitzki is a rhythm shooter. If he's out of his comfort zone, he struggles mightily.

"But it's not like we've awakened on planet Mars and now we've got this new defensive philosophy that we had no idea about," Johnson said.

He then rattled off some names.

"We haven't been in that comfort zone against Ron Artest. We haven't been in that comfort zone against Ben Wallace. We haven't been in that comfort zone against Lamar Odom. We haven't been in that comfort zone against a lot of [lockdown defensive] players," Johnson said.

"We're going to try to keep doing pretty much what we've been doing all year. This type of defense that is being thrown at us [by the Spurs] isn't like any basketball psychology. We've seen it before. We just have to execute better."

You can't blame Nowitzki for getting sick and tired of Bruce Bowen questions.

"Bowen is good at moving his feet," Stackhouse explained. "He's a guy you can't play around with. You just have to attack him ... [and] we've got personnel to attack guys, so we shouldn't be passive."

Down 0-1, that's good advice for the Mavs -- and Nowitzki.

ONLINE: mavs.com

*Dirk's ups and downs*

It's been feast or famine for the Mavericks' big man against the Spurs this season. And how Dirk goes, so go the Mavs:


<table class="story-table" border="0"><tbody><tr class="story-table-even-row"><td> Regular season </td><td> Min. </td><td> FG </td><td> 3FG </td><td> FT </td><td> Pts </td><td> Result </td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td> Nov. 5, Dallas </td><td> 42 </td><td> 12-20 </td><td> 4-5 </td><td> 6-6 </td><td> 34 </td><td> W, 103-84 </td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td> Dec. 1, Dallas </td><td> 42 </td><td> 3-13 </td><td> 1-1 </td><td> 7-8 </td><td> 14 </td><td> L, 92-90 </td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td> March 2, SA </td><td> 37 </td><td> 6-15 </td><td> 1-5 </td><td> 10-10 </td><td> 23 </td><td> L, 98-89 </td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td> April 7, SA </td><td> 42 </td><td> 11-24 </td><td> 1-3 </td><td> 7-8 </td><td> 30 </td><td> W, 92-86 </td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td> Playoffs </td><td> Min. </td><td> FG </td><td> 3FG </td><td> FT </td><td> Pts </td><td> Result </td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td> Sunday, SA </td><td> 42 </td><td> 8-20 </td><td> 0-1 </td><td> 4-6 </td><td> 20 </td><td> L, 87-85</td></tr></tbody></table>


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

TX_MAVFAN said:


> Dirk has to be himself for us to have a shot in this series. There is no need to get the ball at the 3 point line against bowen. Pick it up in the mid-post and work him down. If/When they send the double, find the open man like he has been doing all year. Eventually they will have to stop sending the double or switch to a bigger defender who he can take outside and off the dribble.
> 
> There is no doubt that Bowen has a little chunk of Dirks head, but this is the year he has to work through it and get this monkey off his back for good. The loss hurt. As poorly as we played and as stellar as Duncan played, we still only lost by 2. My confidence is not broken, I still think we take this series, but it's going to be on Dirk.
> 
> *This is going to be an incredible 6 or 7 game series. Feels like the NBA Finals.*


And yet the NBA felt it wiser to play the Pitons/Cavs blowout nationally instead...what a load of idiots.


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

He has been working on the bear hug D I saw it on FSN.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

ezealen said:


> And yet the NBA felt it wiser to play the Pitons/Cavs blowout nationally instead...what a load of idiots.


Because LeBron is the goldenboy chosen one and Timmie and Dirk are just afterthoughts.


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## The Future7 (Feb 24, 2005)

Like everyone that posted said, Dirk has got to get the ball mid-post or down low. He cannot handle Dirk so close to the basket. If they decide to double just get it to the open man.


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

Mavericks_Fan said:


> Because LeBron is the goldenboy chosen one and Timmie and Dirk are just afterthoughts.


Posterboy got ran out of the state of Michigan in game 1.


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

TX_MAVFAN said:


> Posterboy got ran out of the state of Michigan in game 1.


 :whoknows:


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

Saint Baller said:


> :whoknows:


Lebron.


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

Oh hahahaha I get it now!


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

TX_MAVFAN said:


> Posterboy got ran out of the state of Michigan in game 1.


And that will continue to get more coverage as long as the league, the commercial makers, and the unknowledgable "fans" continue to care more about flash and names than about good team basketball.


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

Mavericks_Fan said:


> And that will continue to get more coverage as long as the league, the commercial makers, and the unknowledgable "fans" continue to care more about flash and names than about good team basketball.


Right you are. 
All I know is that I "Witnessed" an butt kicking.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

TX_MAVFAN said:


> Right you are.
> All I know is that I "Witnessed" an butt kicking.


That's what most of the country witnessed, while we texans witnessed one of the greatest games of the playoffs this year. Seriously, the end there was like a 1 on 1 with Timmy and Dirk...until stackhouse blew it at the end.


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