Dirk Nowitzki is an unquestionable all-time great. It seems like, with every game he plays, he gets a new accolade or breaks another record. The accomplishments in the Dallas Mavericks legendary power forward's resume keep piling up.

Last night's 96-100 loss to the New York Knicks marked Nowitzki's 1,435th career game. It was not a great game for him, scoring only five points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing one assist with one turnover while shooting 1-for-7 from the field in 22 minutes. But what made the game special was it marked the game Nowitzki became the second all-time leader in games played for a single franchise. He passed Karl Malone, who played 1,434 games for the Utah Jazz. Now, the only player above Nowitzki is Malone's longtime teammate John Stockton, who holds the record with 1,504 games played for the Jazz.

Nowitzki ranks sixth all-time in NBA games played, all with the Mavericks. He is 28 games behind fifth place Kevin Garnett. If everything goes according to plan and Nowitzki is able to play all remaining 41 games this regular season, he could finish tied with Karl Malone for fourth place in the all-time career games list.

This season, Nowitzki is averaging 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and a career-low 0.8 turnovers. His stats might have dropped, but Nowitzki's shot is still the most lethal weapon in his arsenal up to date. He averages 46.8 percent shooting from the field, 42.2 percent from behind the three-point line and 89.1 percent from the free throw line. At 39 years old, that is impressive.

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Dirk knows his retirement is close, but he is not sure yet when it will happen. Before this season, Nowitzki said he was getting as ready as possible to maximize his production. Eddie Sefko from SportsDay Dallas News quotes him:

“It's been a long summer, way too long. I've been busting my butt trying to get ready, get in game shape. I've progressed well, and I'm looking forward to camp and play some of those new guys… I don't anticipate any problems, but you know, at 39, I guess anything is possible.”

It does not matter if Nowitzki decides to finish his legendary career this year or decides to play one more season. He is already considered by some as an all-time top-three power forward.