A team loses last years MVP of the NBA.
Then it loses its 2nd leading scorer to a division rival.
Its coach is inhis firstyear as an NBA coach.
The team is successful in turning its approach to the game around 180 degrees from offense first, to defense first.
Four of its top 8 players are injured for weeks or months at a time.
This isnt a team of 4 all stars.
This isnt a team of 2 all stars, like the teams in the standings ahead of it.
this is a team of 1 All Star.
This is a team that most sportswriters picked to be in the bottom half of the playoff hunt with some saying they would barelymake the playoffs and could fall out with injuries. This is a team that no sportswriter I can think of, predicted would win anywhere near 60 games. This is a team that has clearly exceeded the expectations of everyone who follows the game.
Its a team carried by a player who has improved in every area that the team has needed him to improve. While some talk about making the players around thembetter as a sign of value, this player has made the team around him a better , more successful team. The true sign of value.
So what happens to this team ?
It can set a record for most wins in franchise history this week, 61.
Besides winning 60 or more games, what has the leader of this team accomplished ?
He has hit game winning shots.
He has blocked game winning shots.
He has made passes to game winning shots.
He has been a leader on the court and off.
He has taken the responsibility to carry this team on his back.
He isnt out doing endorsements, selling basketball videos, doing commercials, doing the interview circuit or promoting himself in any way. He just goes to work and busts his ass every single day.
He is a role model in every sense of the word, on the court and off.
There is no player more valuable to his team than Dirk Nowitzki.
Dirk should be the MVP of the NBA.