Just My Type

Dirk Nowitzki

EURO SMASH

The Mavericks forward is averaging 28.4 points per game and shooting 51% from three-point range in the playoffs entering the Finals.

Dan Patrick: Do you need a championship to validate your place among the greatest players of all time?

Dirk Nowitzki: I don't really see myself as one of the greats of all time.

DP: Your coach, Rick Carlisle, said you were in the top 10.

DN: In his top 10 there are like nine Celtics, and I'm the only non-Celtic. That whole top 10 ... you can throw that out the window. I don't know what he was taking that morning.

DP: What would an NBA title mean to you?

DN: We came so close five years ago. [The Heat] came back and beat us. It [would be] in the back of my mind for the rest of my life if I had never gotten another chance. I don't really care what it would mean to my legacy. It just means so much to me to get this chance again.

DP: When was the last time you watched the 2006 NBA Finals?