Before their final matchup, Nowitzki reflects on relationship with Wade
Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki have shared a lot of moments on the basketball court, but always on opposite ends.
There was the 2006 NBA Finals, when Wade dominated the series to defeat Nowitzki and the Mavericks. Then Nowitzki and the Mavericks earned revenge by shocking Wade and the Big 3 Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.
In February, NBA commissioner Adam Silver added Wade, 37, and Nowitzki, 40, to the All-Star Game as “special team roster additions” in anticipation of both retiring at the end of the season. Wade played for Team LeBron and Nowitzki played for Team Giannis.
But Thursday’s game, the second of the two-game season series between the Heat and Mavericks, marked the final time they faced each other.
Wade has already made it clear he’s retiring at the end of this season, and Nowitzki said he’ll wait until the offseason to decide whether he will return in 2019-20.
The finality of Thursday’s matchup left Nowitzki explaining his complex relationship with Wade following the Mavericks’ morning shootaround Thursday. Both players admit their relationship wasn’t always great, but it’s grown enough that they participated in a jersey exchange following the Heat’s win over the Mavericks in Dallas on Feb. 13.
“It was a sweet moment,” Nowitzki said of the jersey exchange, “for the stuff that we’ve been through, what our competitive nature has been through, what our relationship has been through. There were some ups and downs. But I think at the end of the day, I think we’re both now grown men and we’ve been through a lot.
“It’s not easy to be friends or to like your competition. I always say that. I wasn’t friends with the Spurs when we faced them every year in the playoffs. It just comes with competing at the highest level. You sort of got a little hatred for the opponent you’re playing. But I think we moved on a long time ago. I think the respect outweighs everything. So that was a sweet moment. Now I see that jersey at home and it reminds me, obviously, of some good memories and some bad memories.”
Walking into AmericanAirlines Arena also brings back mixed emotions for Nowitzki. It reminds him of allowing a 2-0 series lead to slip away in the 2006 NBA Finals, but it also brings back memories of Dallas’ 2011 championship celebration after clinching the title with a Game 6 win in Miami.
“You always want to remember the good memories, but ’06 will always be there, too,” he said. “Really, everything went south within one week. It went by real quick. We’re up 2-0 feeling great about ourselves, and we come here and it was the most epic collapse.
“So, that stays in my mind. But when I see the scorer’s table there, I remember walking over there and just getting to the locker room and just laying down. It’s a little bit of mixed emotions, but usually the good memories win.
“It’s bittersweet, for sure. One of my greatest memories and, obviously, one of the worst memories of my career.”
Nowitzki entered Thursday averaging just 6.3 points on 36.6 percent shooting in 14 minutes this season. But Wade is still playing a big role for the Heat in his final season, with averages of 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Wade scored 22 on 9of-14 shooting in the Heat’s win over the Mavericks in February.
“He looks like he’s got a couple years left,” Nowitzki said. “He looks like at the end, he can still take games over. They give him the ball, he’s making good decisions with the ball, he’s still athletic enough to get by people. So to me, he looks great. But it’s obviously his call. Whatever he wants to do and whatever he feels like his body can still do and can’t do. But to me, he had a great game against us in Dallas. He can still drive, he’s got all the float game, he’s shooting it still. He’s still a tough cover.”
But Wade is ready to retire. And there’s the real possibility that Nowitzki will call it a career at the end of the season, too.
“I have it laid out,” Nowitzki said of the jersey he received from Wade earlier this season.
“I don’t have that many jerseys quite honestly. … Dwyane’s is one of the big ones.”
INJURY UPDATE
Josh Richardson missed Thursday’s game against the Mavericks because of a bruised left heel. It’s just the third game he has missed this season.
Richardson is averaging a team-high 16.7 points this season, with the Heat outscoring teams by 72 points in the team-high 2,523 minutes he has played.
In addition to Richardson, Justise Winslow (right thigh bruise) and Rodney McGruder (left knee soreness) did not play Thursday. Winslow missed his seventh consecutive game, and McGruder missed his sixth consecutive game.