2007 playoff loss to Warriors still irks Dirk but made him better, he says
EDDIE SEFKO
Staff Writer
esefko@dallasnews.com
Published: 11 March 2014 11:24 PM
Updated: 12 March 2014 12:37 AM
OAKLAND, Calif. — Dirk Nowitzki was set to pass John Havlicek for 12th place
on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Tuesday night.
And he was hoping to do it at a place where he is already commemorated.
Oracle Arena was the site of one of Nowitzki’s darkest moments, the 2007
first-round playoff series against Golden State, when Don Nelson’s team
became the first eighth-seeded team to beat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game
playoff series.
After the close-out loss, Nowitzki pitched a trash can upward near the
visiting locker room. The resulting hole in the drywall remains to this day,
with plexiglass over it and a Dirk Nowitzki signature with a yellow “We
Believe” T-shirt hanging above it.
It is a part of the tour the team gives to fans who want to see the inner
workings of the arena.
“It always makes me smile,” Nowitzki said. “It’s part of my history, and
I guess all these playoff failures are part of why we won in 2011. It made me
into the player and person I am. Year after year, disappointments, but keep
pushing and ultimately be the closer [to where] I needed to be in 2011.”
When Nowitzki’s career received the official stamp of validation with the
championship in 2011, the next season the Warriors asked him to sign the wall.
“That’s why I signed it with a smile on my face,” he said. “If I hadn’t
won it, I probably would have said get the hell out of here with that.
“It’s part of both our histories. It doesn’t happen very often that an
eight seed beats a one seed. It’s part of their history and part of our
history. They’re probably a lot more proud about it than we are. But you can
’t change what happened in the past.”
Every time the Mavericks come to the arena, Nowitzki sees the shrine to his
aggravation.
And he won’t ever forget that season.
“I’m still mad about it,” he said. “We had a great shot that year when we
won 67 games. To me, it was another lost opportunity. I think we played the
Spurs really, really well that year, and we figured if we saw them [in the
conference finals] we might have a good shot of going all the way. It’s part
of my past, and it made me a better player.”
大略翻譯：
2007年第一輪被鬼才老尼和勇士「老八」的甲骨文球場對Dirk來說是最難忘的時刻之一
在系列戰將以失敗落幕時，Dirk氣憤的將垃圾桶扔在客隊的休息室的牆壁上
直到今日，那面牆上還留著一個洞，一件2007年勇士隊的“We Believe” T-shirt以及
DIRK的簽名，並用塑膠玻璃好好保存起來
圖片：http://ppt.cc/kPi1
Dirk說：這件事想來總是令我微笑，這是我在NBA經歷的一部分。
我認為那些過往季後賽的失敗，是我們能夠在2011贏得總冠軍的原因
失利砥礪著我，使我可以成長為現在著我。
一年又一年的失望過去，最終我們的努力不懈使我們在2011做到了我們最想要的事情
「16場勝利─總冠軍」
當2011年Dirk終於品嘗到Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy的滋味
隔年，勇士便詢問Dirk是否願意為那個「牆上的過往」簽名
「這也是為什麼我會開心的簽名的原因。」
如果我們2011年依然一無所有，我可能只會跟他們說：「他X的滾出去」
2007年的「那一段」是我們倆隊共同歷史的一部分。
畢竟第八種子打敗第一種子這種事情並不常見。他們對這段經歷感到自豪是必然的
但我們又不能改變我們過去所經歷的事情。
每一次小牛造訪甲骨文球場，Dirk都會再一次見識到他所為的過往
以及他永遠不會忘記的那一個球季
「我還是會為此感到惱怒」。Dirk這麼說到
「我們那年拿下了67勝，那是一個很好的機會去挑戰季後賽。對我來說，又是一次逝去的機
會。那年我們對戰馬刺的表現非常非常好，而且我們都在猜想如果我們在西區總冠軍賽遇見
馬刺，那可能是我們十分靠近Larry O'Brien金盃的時刻。但....」
這是我的過往，而這一次都讓我變得更好也更強。
消息來源：http://ppt.cc/Qnpg(網址或出處)
心得：因為你和其他小牛球員對於冠軍盃的執著，2011的所有系列賽，尤其是總冠軍賽才
那麼讓人感動和回味阿。
然後簽名也真的是十分大器！！！！！