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Dirk considering playing for German national team
Dirk Nowitzki is considering joining the German national team this summer to help their chances of qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Nowitzki told ESPN 103.3 FM on Tuesday that he would decide within a few weeks.
Germany must finish among the top six of the 24 teams at the EuroBasket tournament to be eligible to qualify for the next Olympics.
Nowitzki hasn’t played for Germany since the 2008 Olympics, an experience he’s called among the highlights of his career.
He said he’s told German officials he’d help the next generation get to the Olympics. However, the Mavs’ extended run and ensuing celebrations have left the NBA finals MVP in need of some down time.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Parade for champion Mavs sets out early Thursday – AP
Thousands of fans have begun lining up for a party 31 years in the making — the celebration of the Dallas Mavericks’ first NBA championship.
The fun begins at 10 a.m. Thursday with a parade through downtown, but hours earlier fans began staking out their favorite spots. Streets along the parade route were being closed two hours before the event, as organizers urged fans to avoid traffic delays and use public transportation.
More than 250,000 people were expected to cheer on a fleet of three floats, 10 convertibles and a dozen trucks featuring star player Dirk Nowitzki, club owner Mark Cuban and everyone from team founder Don Carter to Nowitzki’s guru, Holger Geschwindner.
The guest of honor, of course, would be the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the shiny gold statue given to the NBA’s top team.
The parade route was to end at the team’s arena, followed by a bash inside for 10,000 season-ticket holders.
The Mavs won the title by beating LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Sunday.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Mavs not feeling Cuban’s idea not to give title rings | NBA.com
Mark Cuban’s idea to celebrate an NBA championship with something other than a ring is being soundly rejected by his players, his coach and the top guy in the front office.
“We’ve got to talk to him about that,” said Dirk Nowitzki, the finals MVP. “I don’t think the last word has been spoken yet. We know he always wants to do something different, something bigger. But the ring is just so classic. I think I would vote for a ring. I mean, I’m a man. I don’t know how I’d feel about a bracelet…”
Mavs not feeling Cuban’s idea not to give title rings | NBA.com.
Jackson could go out in a dustpan
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Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson announced at the start of this season that he would be retiring. Jackson has earned 11 championship rings as a head coach and made superstars like Michael Jordan, Scotties Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant into Hall of Fame players. However, during this postseason Jackson is in uncharted territory. For the first time in his career, he is coaching a team in the playoffs that is down 0-3 in a best of series.
The Lakers have struggled against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Maverick in the western conference semifinals. Lakers center Andrew Bynum attributed the Lakers struggles to “trust issues” the two time defending NBA champions are dealing with. These trust issues could result in a series sweep for the Mavericks and a less than spectacular end to the career of the most successful head coach in NBA history.
Jackson has lost playoff series before but never like this. In game three, Jackson was seen beating on power forward Pau Gasol’s chest to get the big man’s attention. Jackson has traded in his usual calm demeanor for a fire and passion that have seen to be birthed from a feeling of desperation.
Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant told the press that he feels the Lakers will be the first team to win a best of seven series when facing a 0-3 deficit. Hopefully for Jackson’s sake, Bryant’s supreme confidence and determination will trump the trust issues the Hollywood Lakers seem to be dealing with. If not, Jackson and his 11 championship rings will be swept off into the sunset by a newer and tougher Mavericks squad.
