MVN - Most Valuable Network

Dirk’s return sparks win over Warriors

After the Mavericks’ shootaround Wednesday morning, Dirk Nowitzki sounded like he would not be able to return to the lineup after missing four games with a sprained knee and ankle.

“I’ve got to be pain-free. If I can’t move out there and cut and try to defend and move my feet, it really doesn’t make any sense to try to get out there,” Nowitzki said. “Just hobbling around wouldn’t help anybody. I would rather have somebody out there that can go and give 100 percent.”

Well he fooled me. Nowitzki not only started against Golden State, his heroic return lifted the entire team to a huge 111-86 win. While he certainly was not 100 percent, he actually moved very well for a guy only 10 days removed from an ugly looking knee and high ankle sprain. He scored 18 points off 6-of-15 shooting with five rebounds in a productive 27 minutes. His surprising last minute addition not only pumped up the home crowd, but also freed up space for Jason Terry and Josh Howard to penetrate the Warriors’ porous interior and score nearly at will. Jason Kidd was remarkably accurate with his passing (17 assists) and also played an exceptional ballgame.

The win keeps the Mavericks in that 7th spot, one game ahead of idle Denver, while the Warriors tumble down to 9th, two games back. Dallas now holds the tie-breaking 3-1 edge in the season series against Golden State, which is key in case all three teams finish with the same record. The 0-for is finally off their back as well, as the Mavs are now 1-10 against teams with records above .500.

Whether you love or hate the Mavericks and/or Dirk Nowitzki, you have to respect the guy’s toughness and passion that clearly showed tonight. His injury typically has a minimum three-to-six week recovery period, but Dirk was able to cut the low end of that estimate in half. He said himself that he had never been forced to deal with a high ankle sprain as opposed to the normal ankle sprains that he has quickly came back from countless times in the past. Yet despite his pessimistic tone this morning, I think he knew that he would have to play in what turned out to be the biggest win of the Mavericks’ season.

We’ll see how he feels in the morning. I don’t know whether he needs ice, heat or some Icy Hot for that ankle, but I’m pretty sure Nowitzki will be taking it easy tomorrow before Friday’s game against the Lakers. Pau Gasol returned to their lineup tonight in L.A.’s win over the Blazers, so they too will be closer to full strength then they have been. Dallas will not have Jerry Stackhouse for at least another week, so it’s still going to take more strong all-around efforts like this one in order for this team to remain in the playoff picture.

Will this win finally sway the Mavericks’ momentum in their favor? It’s tough to say with this crazy Western Conference playoff picture that changes every day. The so-called “experts” on Wednesday night’s ESPN telecast - Stephen A. Smith and Jamal Mashburn - said at halftime that the Mavs will be the odd team out when all is said and done in a couple weeks. They could be correct, especially with two tough road games coming up against the Lakers and Suns in front of a national audience.

But I’ll tell you this: when the Mavs have something to play for and rally around, something they clearly had Wednesday with Nowitzki’s return in the biggest of games against a team that is undoubtedly the most painful thorn in their collective back, they can be scary good. It would be foolish to count them out at this point.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 10:32 pm and is filed under Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Jason Kidd, Recaps, Golden State Warriors, Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.