This explains it all. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/19/AR2007031901610.html Nowitzki Admits Getting Tense in Pressure Situations Tuesday, March 20, 2007; Page E02 Dallas Mavericks all-star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who is still hearing criticism for his meltdown during a 129-127 double-overtime loss to Phoenix last week, admitted yesterday that he gets tight during pressure situations. "I think everybody who says they don't get tense, they're lying," Nowitzki said following practice at Dodge Fitness Center on the campus of Columbia University, where the Mavericks were preparing for the Knicks tonight. "It's big games. You got to find ways to stay loose and relax. I've been doing a decent job of not letting the pressure get to me and still enjoying the moment." Nowitzki said he took the home loss to Phoenix -- in which Dallas blew a seven-point lead in the final minute -- harder than any regular season defeat. Nowitzki said he couldn't sleep for two nights because he missed two free throws in the final minute of regulation and jumpers that would have won the game in regulation or forced a third overtime. "We had it. No way we should've lost that game, but we did because I didn't make the necessary plays," he said. "I guess I'm 28 now, I shouldn't miss a free throw down the stretch. It happens. We're all humans. If we were all machines, the game would be boring. I guess emotions play a factor in a big game like that, and I missed two free throws that were crucial." He bounced back, however, in the next two games, scoring 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter of a 106-101 win over the Celtics on Friday night and going 9 for 12 in the second half to help defeat the Pistons, 92-88, on Sunday. Nowitzki said he wouldn't shy away from pressure situations in the future. "I love to have the ball at the end of games. That's what it's all about," Nowitzki said. "We all know if you make it, you're the hero. If you miss it, you're the goat. That's the position you have to be comfortable in. I guess I am." -- Michael Lee
"I think everybody who says they don't get tense, they're lying," ...Yeah, and people compare him to Larry Legend.
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To me it's not a big deal if a player says he get nervous. It's a natural human reaction to pressure. It's how you respond to that situation that makes you clutch. I can guarantee you Jordan, Bird, Olajuwon, and countless others got nervous. But it was the way they were able to push past it to achieve greatness that made them special.
I thought we would read about the 2nd NBA guy coming out...which wouldn't suprise me given the individual...
Him and Mark Cuban should have some complain time with eachother to whine about refs, which obviously are making him choke.
Yeah, Dirk, everyone gets nervous in pressure situations. (OK, maybe not Manny Ramirez or Rasheed Wallace, but they are the exception.) Great players channel those nerves into concentration. That's what makes them clutch. Chokers let the nerves get to them.
Wouldn't it be funny if the Clippers, Golden State, or N.O beat the Mavs in the first round. I would laugh and laugh and laugh...... It's possible, yes it is.
No, he said he tries to not let the pressure get to him. Which tells me that he hasn't learned to channel that pressure. And that given sufficient pressure, he'll still choke.
I think GS has the best chance of pulling off the upset in a series, I would just love it and love listening to all the sports radio up here in dallas....
no seriously, GS has their number... lets see if they can swep the series in April, they would go in to the playoffs withalot of confidence and motivation...
Jerry West: It gets easier in the clutch. That's the difference between Mr. Clutch and Mr. Choke Nowinski
