There was a time when dunks were routine for Dirk Nowitzki. The Dallas Mavericks legend was never a high-flier, but in his prime had rare overall athleticism and coordination for a player his size, exploiting those attributes time and again at the rim due to his imminently threatening jumper. Nowtizki had at least 35 dunks in each of his first five NBA seasons, cresting at 48 slams in 2004-05.
Coming into Friday's action, though, the 40 year old had combined for just 12 dunks over the last five seasons, including zero thus far in 2018-19. Would Nowitzki really finish what's likely be his NBA swan song without rocking the rim? That depressing reality seemed likely to come to fruition until the first possession against the Memphis Grizzlies, when he set a ball screen, rolled to the rim unencumbered, and caught a slick bullet pass from Courtney Lee before bringing American Airlines Center to its feet with his first dunk of the season.
🎶 Ridin down Rodeo in my Maserati sports car 🎶 pic.twitter.com/t78VSLYi4j
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 6, 2019
Awesome.
Nowitzki, by the way, has started 17 of the Mavericks' last 21 games after failing to register a start over the first few months of the season. Though he's largely struggled overall, Nowitzki, perhaps energized by his early aerial exploits, is playing well against the Grizzlies, with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first half.
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