Steph Curry takes the weirdest shot of his career
Last night, the Dallas Mavericks hosted the Golden State Warriors, but this wasn’t just another game. During this game, the Mavericks held the jersey retirement ceremony for Dirk Nowitzki. From 1998 until 2019, Dirk played for the Mavericks. At the time, the Mavs weren’t known for being a good team, but with Dirk leading the way, the Mavericks became title contenders, eventually winning the 2011 championship.
In 2007, the Mavericks were “supposed” to win the championship. Following the 2006 NBA Finals, where the Miami Heat upset the Mavs, they started 0-4 to the next season. Quickly, fortunes changed, and Dirk led Dallas to a 67-11 record the rest of the way. This was Dallas’ best record in franchise history and the league’s best record, for the season. Three of Dallas’ losses, that season, were against the Golden State Warriors, a team that hadn’t made the playoffs in thirteen years.
Dirk Nowitzki won the season MVP and the Warriors were expected to be a quick series win. Instead, the “We Believe” Warriors took a 3-1 lead against Dallas. A few days later, they did the impossible, and won the series in six games. The Warriors would not make the playoffs again, until 2013, but the Mavericks still considered them a major rival. When the Warriors rose to contention, led by Steph Curry, Dirk’s Mavericks were aging, barely making the playoffs.
In 2019, Dirk Nowitzki retired, having never faced Curry’s Warriors, in the playoffs. Last night, though, the league best Warriors visited Dallas, while Dirk was having his jersey retired. This gave Luka Doncic’s Mavericks something to play for. They blew Golden State out, winning the game 99-82. In this game, Steph Curry threw up a circus shot that missed.
