Years from now, when Dirk Nowitzki exploits as a Dallas Maverick, and is withered old stories circulate among the people here in town, details of Game 4 of the 2011 NBA finals will be as nebulous as the balance Nowitzki was on the track here Tuesday evening.
A merciless fight against Dwyane Wade, a severe sinus infection and fever, which had its temperature hovering around 101 all day, Nowitzki came through the clutch once again to pull the Mavericks dust and rear, even in this series at 2-2 on the road in what has the makings of an epic Game 5 here on Thursday.
Nowitzki driving layup with 14.9 seconds left and two free throws by Jason Terry with 6.7 seconds left provided the margin of victory in the Mavericks' season-saving 86-83 victory before a crowd Retail breath at the American Airlines Center.
They combined for 18 of the Mavericks' final 21 points in a game of running towards the close saw the heat without a 12 points in the final 10 minutes for the reconstruction of his return in this game and this series. Rallied from a late nine-point deficit to steal their second game in three attempts with a hot team that once again, lost control of the action when it mattered most.
And Nowitzki, pulling her body to pieces up and down the court, when it was clear that there had - remember, it was already playing with a torn tendon in the left middle finger - took over when it counts most.
"One of the largest in history," said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. "He wants the ball, and wants the responsibility of winning and losing. We do everything possible to put in these situations."
Dirk fever spread throughout the building after the game. Someone even mentioned the name of Michael Jordan, whose cosmic mounted on the performance of the flu in Game 5 against Utah in the final 97 looks like a tough guy show in recent history final.
"Wow, a Jordanism said Terry." Really? Not all call it that. But hitting that shot down the stretch was the key. There was a similar situation in Game 3. Same Game 2. Iso, free throw line, leading to the grill is a lot of time. "
Nowitzki, coughing and wheezing its way through interview session after the match, had no desire to go that route or Jordan. For starters, it has not collapsed Terry arms upon arrival, made the journey to Jordan Scottie Pippen is in his mercurial 38-point, seven rebounds, five assist, three steal and a block of performance driven the Bulls to a 3 -2 edge in this series.
Her temperature was not the 103 that were thrown around during the game. Nowitzki stepped on the soil of their own. Physical fights, but it was obvious. He was not involved in the shooting around Tuesday morning. He even missed a free throw with 3:52 to play in the third quarter, ending a series of 39 straight dating back to Game 4 of Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City.
"It's just a little sinus infection," Nowitzki said, his voice breaking several times as he spoke. "Hopefully I'll sleep a little and take some drugs and be ready to go on Thursday [in Game 5]."
Jordan comparisons are not so far. Nowitzki was visibly shaken by what he is who he is sick. He had just eight points at halftime and needed every bit of energy production and Terry and the rest of the cast of the Mavericks' could provide.
And the Mavericks were forced to pull out all the stops for this one, what nursing Nowitzki as fever, backup center Brendan Haywood has trouble playing with a hip flexor and right past the bench after the last 48 hours before Game 4 as a punching bag for the wise leaders of the world.
Carlisle has changed his starting lineup, the addition of JJ Barea for DeShawn Stevenson and then get a monster effort and boys. Barea eight points, four rebounds and three assists helped up scoreless, four-turnover performance in Jason Kidd. Stevenson was the clutch, nailing three of his seven shots, all on a three-point line and finished with 11 points off the bench, when he and Terry reserves outscored the Heat 28-15.
Tyson Chandler struggled in the heat without much help, finishing with 13 points and 16 rebounds while playing an exhausting 43 minutes in the pit that was the center of the lane on both sides of the court.
"We are a club ball hard," said Carlisle. "We've been strong all year. We do not feel a team-type bruises physically, but mentally he is as strong as a group I never had, because they come from ... what they represent, how they interact and how they can trust. It can be difficult, because Miami has the guys who make plays awesome. Just to continue to play through it and continue to play in situations where you need pictures, you usually do, hey there is some frustration there. But they stayed together. They kept their energy up. And they found a way. "
