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When you choke, you give up a big lead usually, or you have the chance to win, but fail to do so. having no heart means you play just going through the motions, or have conceded defeat.
I know what you mean LOL. He's looked that way a couple of times this year. It's like he knows the window is closing. He looks determined to win to the point where it's scary. That's what it takes though. I still don't think that PHO can overcome their rebounding deficiencies. They don't look that bad defensively. They do hustle and appear to be trying hard on the defensive end.
I think PHO vs. MAVS are fairly evenly matched barring the Mavs learning how to closeout games in pressure situations or Amare learning how to box out (whichever comes first)
I picked the Spurs to come out of the West earlier this year, and i'm sticking to it.
When you choke, you give up a big lead usually, or you have the chance to win, but fail to do so. having no heart means you play just going through the motions, or have conceded defeat.
I think i see what the problem is....this guy that wrote the article is using the completely wrong word.
He said that cuz Dirk shriveled up at the end, he played with no heart. Which is absolutely wrong. Despite shriveling up at the end, Dirk played with plenty of heart.
What this writer should have said is that Dirk didn't play with any balls at the end. Because Dirk definitely played a nutless fourth quarter and overtimes.
So it's just a horrible choice of words from this writer. Replace "heart" with "balls" and it makes alot more sense. But seeing how this writer's gay, I can see how he would have made this mistake.
There's no difference. They're both part of the lazy bombast of a lazy sports media who favor sensationalism over real journalism, perpetuated by stupid fans who find ridiculing the losers more entertaining than praising the winners.
I agree with this angle. Not the most politically correct. But definitely. when I was watching the game, he was definitely trying to win for the team. So no heart is uncalled for. The same can be said about Timmy. Timid Timmy. And that's not fair, we all know he takes it upon himself to really win for his team.
But as for that game, the missed free throw showed Dirk had no balls. Nash and Wade types always seem to cut them off in the crunch. And Dirk does suffer from shrinkage during those moments. I hope Vindictive Manu looks to do the same thing to him, if we get to meet Dallas in the playoffs.
The Chicago Sun Times will be very disappointed in you.
EDIT
Woody Paige owns you. Kill yourself.
Was Dirk a choker when he beat the Suns with that last second shot in December?
No, he was a choker when he dropped 4 straight to the Heat
Maybe. He certainly was clutch at the FT line against the Spurs last May.
Peyton Manning had plenty of clutch moments against the Buccaneers or Jaguars or whoever else for many years. But he was still labeled a major choker until he finally beat the Patriots and won the Super Bowl.
Until he proves it in the Finals, Dirk is a choker.
The same could be said about Steve Nash. He's also had plenty of great regular season games, but what has he ever won aside from the regular season MVP's?
The funny thing is, the Mavs actually have gotten better without Nash. That's a topic that seems to get overlooked in this whole Nash-Nowitzki thing.
I agree. I really dont get why people are so quick to get on Nash's , but will discredit Dirk at any chance possible.
That's a good point that, as you posted, rarely is mentioned when debating Nash's MVP status. The same could be said of the Suns, yet everyone wants to annoint them as the best thing in basketball. When did all O and no D become so fashionable? It used to be that those teams were ridiculed as regular season pretenders. The Suns have done nothing to change that perception, yet now thaey are the perenial favorites to win a ring...I don't understand it at all.
Last edited by TonyParkerSux; 03-20-2007 at 10:11 AM.
Well it's stupid to think that the Suns are contenders....i really dont get it. Mavs, Spurs, or Lakers will all beat them in the playoffs.That's a good point that, as you posted, rarely is mentioned when debating Nash's MVP status. The same could be said of the Suns, yet everyone wants to annoint them as the best thing in basketball. When did all O and no D become so fashionable? It used to be that those teams were ridiculed as regular season pertenders. Tje Suns have done nothing to change that perception, yet now thaey are the perrinial favorites to win a ring...
But also, when's the last time Nash missed a free throw to put a game away? Or a series? Maybe it's because his team has never been good enough for him to be in that situation....but I don't see a whole lot of choking from Nash when it really counts (and when all he needs to do is make one free throw).
That's true about Nash, but his team is never really in position to win many close games. They either blow out a team or get blown out. That Mavs game was an exception, and it seemed to take everything that the Suns had just to finish (as evidenced by their next two blowout losses). I think that as a team the Suns have a losing record in close games, but Nash at least will hit the clutch shot if he needs to.
To me, the bottom line is this - who do want taking the final shot to win the game? who are you most confident in.
No doubt the Suns want Nash taking the final shot. Not Amare or Marion or anybody else - they want Nash.
On the other hand, I'd be willing to bet that the majority of Mavs fans would rather have Jason Terry take the final shot over Dirk. That says alot right there.
But Dirk's stepped up his game every year, so maybe this is the year where he shows consistency in crunch time during the playoffs. It's just very weird with him - sometimes he shows up huge, other times he disappears completely.
and that is okay for Dallas and its fans. Dirk shouldn't have to be everything for that squad. If Terry isn't open, Dirk is a much better 2nd option than what any other team has....
I, as a Laker fan, think of Terry as being your "clutch" shooter, but see Dirk as your best player. Terry has ice in his veins.
I'd rather have Dirk take the final shot every time but I'm comfortable with JET taking it if need be. Dirk has made many clutch shots (won playoff game vs. Griz and made shot & free throw that sent game 7 vs. Spurs to OT) just in the last year. The media and fans only seem to remember his misses though. I don't think Dirk gets nervous (I think he wants the last shot or free throw(s))...I just think he's taking so many shots/free throws with games on the line that he's obviously failed several times. I saw just about every game Jordan ever played and saw him miss many more game winning/game tying shots than he actually made. I'm not comparing Dirk to MJ but making the point that if you're "the man" on your team you're going to have a lot of failures in those situations just because you have so many opportunities.
That's also a famous Jordan quote... That he missed alot more game winning shots than he made.
Yeah but I wonder how many game winning free throws he missed.
LOL. My guess would be that he made 98% or better of his game winning free throws....
Yeah, I don't recall him missing many free throws in crunch time.
And I don't want to be too down on Dirk, because he's obviously great. And he's come through in the clutch many times for this team. And this really isn't about him making or missing the final shot. It's about the way that sometimes, and far too often, he disappears at the end of a huge game. There's times where he's been great, yes, but there's been a plethora of times where all of a sudden he can't get open for a shot, where he can't make a wide open shot or free throw, and where he stops being aggressive.
I think that's the difference, and that's why he has the perception of being a choker. Because even if Jordan missed the game winner, he always showed up in every fourth quarter and led his team.
I know where you're coming from but I think he's improved this season in regards to showing up(being more aggressive) in the 4th quarter. He's had a lot of really big 4th quarters this season, plus, he's become a much better passer this season so when teams double him he's making better decisions.
Outside of the free throw he missed vs. the Suns (and he missed one vs. the Celtics on Friday), I can't really recall him missing a key free throw this season. Obviously, he blew the one vs. the Heat in the finals but he also made every key free throw vs. the Spurs & Suns prior to the finals.
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