Dirk Nowitzki's performance in the 2019 All-Star game was as successful as it was short-lived. The Dallas Mavericks legend entered Sunday's exhibition with 56.6 seconds left in the first quarter. He drained his first three-pointer off a hand-off from Blake Griffin just over 20 seconds later, connected on another deep triple off a set play on Team Giannis' next trip down, then capped off his brief stint by hitting a third and final three in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Three shots, three wishes, and nine points in four minutes of play for the Mavs star.
Needless to say, that is about as optimal an outcome as Nowitzki could have hoped for in what's likely to be his final All-Star appearance before retirement. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle went a step further on Wednesday, joking with reporters that it was some of the “best basketball I've ever seen.”
“Sensational. The best 90 seconds of basketball I’ve ever seen. Honest to God. It was great. It was just great,” Carlisle said, per Dwain Price of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. “It sums up his career. Just perfection. The perfection of the jump shot. It was great. He got in. He got out. See you later.”
Nowitzki has struggled to stay on the floor during what most believe is his last NBA season. He missed the first 31 games while recovering from injury, and has been unable to muster the shot-making magic that he flashed with such aplomb in the All-Star game. Nowitzki is averaging career-lows across the board of 4.7 points. 1.7 rebounds, and 11.0 minutes per game.
Maybe Sunday's performance is a harbinger of things to come for Nowitzki over the season's remainder? Let's hope so.
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