Dirk Nowitzki: soft, choker… Hall of Famer 

I’d also guess thats at least six future HOF players

It's basketball hall of fame which is one the easiest to get in. Hell, I never played organized basketball and I might be in the HOF😂​@@aceassn716

Brandon Roy was special, man.

And Gasol

Swept, defending champion Kobe btw

Naw he was soft he just grew his game to fit.

I think soft in the context of basketball and soft physically in general are two different things And you absolutely cannot say Dirk was soft, but you can say he was soft in basketball terms

Opposing scouts said he was soft. Opposing coaches did. Opposing GMs did. Opposing players did. Scores -- or rather, hundreds -- of people who know more about the game than any of us ever will called him soft. That means the man was soft. Until he wasn't.

He absolutely was soft. He flopped too like a lot of Euro players coming over did. Ironic American born players do it all the time now and take it even further than even flop god Vlade Divac did.

Harden isn’t a choker, he’s just a finesse player who doesn’t get benefits of a whistle in the playoffs that he gets in the regular season. See how that works? Two things can be true at the same time

Should have mentioned that was LeBron's first year in Miami, following "The Decision". He made going to the Heat such a big deal with the rest of the "Big Three". And it wasn't just talk; they went 12-3 in the Eastern conference playoffs on their way to the finals. They just looked like some unstoppable juggernaut. And then Dirk happened

@@calvin7330eh. It was mainly because of how weak the East was (outside of Indiana)

@@darrendent8288 The East was weak BECAUSE of LeBron. He wasn't lucky. Teams knew they were drawing dead so nobody wanted to go all in. LeBron owned the East for a Decade. That's also why so many stars from that era went out West.

He would’ve been another subject for “untitled” remember that show on this channel?

They look like they'd make the best 2000's boy band

It's right up there with the 1995 Rockets.

Rockets were juggernauts since Jordan left. Be serious​@@budwyzer77

@@budwyzer77Only his best teammate wasn’t as good as Clyde Drexler; correct me if I’m wrong.

@@fortynights1513 But he also had Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, JJ Barea, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler... depth is usually better than raw star power.

​@@JBoss44Juggernauts? Otis Thorpe as Hakeem's #2 in 94 and an aging over the hill Clyde Drexler in 95 makes the Rockets juggernauts? I don't think so.

Didn’t he average 35 that series

He did! The panel was in total "....but he don't have that dog!!!" and totally ignoring that was maybe the worst team Prime Dirk ever had. It was just awful

As a mavs fan, i hated Tim Duncan as a kid. But as I got older I grew to massively respect his game. His is mr fundamental for a reason.

The feeling was mutual, lol!! hated Duncan and the Spurs for the same reason for him torching us but damn wasn’t he one of the best to ever do it. DIRK MAV GOAT!!!!

Only in TX where rivals are hated to the core, but respect their body of work.

I thought the Spurs were very classy in his lart game in San Antonio they did a video package tribute for him during introductions

I think all thr Texan NBA fans hates the other Texan NBA teams lmao..i hated the rockets and the mavericks..😂😂😂

I wouldn't really consider Harden or CP3 heroes lol

Tim Malone Dirk KG Barkley

@@liorpapismedov2519 Giannis and KG are ahead of Dirk. Dirk is a fringe top 5 PF, or maybe just outside the top 5. Giannis its pretty clear. He has a DPOY and an extra MVP on Dirk. He has better statistics - more points, more rebounds, more assists, more blocks, more steals, higher fg%. Even considering the higher scoring era we are in now vs early 2000s, and considering that Giannis also turns the ball over more, I think its pretty clear that Giannis is better than Dirk and will retire with a better resume. And honestly it won't even be particularly close. As for Dirk vs KG, this is more of a discussion as their resumes look pretty similar - 1 ring, 1 MVP. Dirk has an FMVP, KG has a DPOY. More or less a wash in that regard. Statistically, Dirk got more points (an average of 3 ppg for his career, or 2 ppg more when they were both in their prime), Dirk turned the ball over less, and Dirk of course had higher 3p% and ft%. Garnett got more rebounds, more assists, more blocks, more steals, higher fg%. Dirk was a slightly better scorer, KG was a better rebounder, playmaker, and much better defender. Overall, I'd give the edge to KG because at his best he could take over a game on both ends of the court. I can see the argument for Dirk, but I think KG is the better player overall and I think the majority of non-biased basketball fans would agree, but it is pretty close. As for Karl Malone and Chuck... well it depends what you prioritize. Both were great players but neither ever won a championship or FMVP, which gives Dirk an advantage. Otherwise Karl Malone has an almost unbeatable resume though in terms of all star appearances, all-NBA selections (11 first team!), all-Defensive selections, and an extra MVP over Dirk. And Malone had to compete with Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon for championships. Charles Barkley had this same issue in 1993. His Phoenix Suns pushed the Bulls to 6 games, and Chuck played great, averaging 27.3/13/5.5/1.2/0.5 on 47.6 fg%, but Jordan was unstoppable averaging 41/8.5/6.3/1.7/0.7 on 50.8 fg%, so... I honestly don't know where to rank Chuck compared to Dirk, if the Suns had won that championship they would have a similar resume and Chuck had significantly better career stats, but as it stands I can definitely understand you putting Dirk ahead of Chuck.

When I say Chuck had better career stats than Dirk, its actually pretty stark... Chuck averaged about 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 1-2 assists more than Dirk per game on a 54.1% fg% (versus Dirk's 47.1%). Chuck had twice as many steals and the same amount of blocks as Dirk. Dirk turned the ball over less though. Charles Barkley's stats are clearly better than Dirk's. But he never won a championship or FMVP. If the Suns had won that championship, Chuck would have won the FMVP and this would be a very different conversation. But since the Bulls beat the Suns, Dirk clearly has a better resume, but Charles Barkley clearly has better stats... hard to say...

DN / DP

And zero mention of all the FTs Wade got in games 5 and 6, 46 in total. It's still one of the great controversies in NBA Finals history.

That's usually how it goes for championship Ls

@@mrmacrossI still think the commissioner fixed that series

A̶n̶y̶ ̶D̶i̶r̶k̶ ̶s̶l̶a̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ "Any opinions about Dirk that don't align with mine in the comments will not be tolerated." Fixed it for you.

@@EssAhrBeeeither way is correct.

@@chrisofchris Nah. Y'all call any opinions that differ from yours "slander". That's childish, Chris. Grow up. **Mute**

@@EssAhrBee well, you childishly muted this, so I’m guessing you won’t see, but you’re still wrong. No Dirk slander will be tolerated in the comments 😂

If Dirk didn't win in 2011 he'd be remembered as a soft choker who never could get it done is that slander? 2011 singlehandedly saved his legacy.

Agreed. Portland tested them with some B.Roy late game antics and Andre Miller going nuclear. OKC drew some massive performances from Dirk, but that was still a tough team to beat. And to treat the Heat finals like "oh, he fought through some illness" was quite the understatement. And yes, the Mavs FO wasted a lot of Dirk's years. 100 percent.

that part. they were hacking tf outta dirk

D Wade had 45?!? Or so free throws within two games!! Think they were games 5&6??

-- that series bothered me. Yes, Wade was the aggressor BUT ALSO there were so many phantom calls that helped me realize that some games are weighted in the favor of certain teams (i.e. LAL vs Pippen Blazers and LAL vs C-Webb SAC Kings).

@@jlui21 no doubt stern made a phone call in that Lakers Kings series smh in game 6 LA shot 27 free throws in just the 4th quarter ..

My literal first thought lol

**yawn**

Clayton Crowley is a really good narrator and writer

That ghost foul on Wade will haunt me until my dying day

as a Rockets fan that lives in Dallas, I agree.

What made them "haters", Chris?

2nd behind Hakeem's '95 run as a 6 seed.

@@EssAhrBee -- Both are correct. Dirk and Hakeem didn't have another current all star in the season they won. P.s. LeThird said (in a podcast to Redick in 2024) that it wasn't a superteam and that they didn't have enough. HOWEVER, they were up 2-1 in the Finals with a 4th quarter lead...before they (he) flamed out. Shout out to Dirk for cooking dem Heatles.

@@jlui21 They can't both be "most impressive", Justin. Hakeem was a 6 seed, which means his Rockets didn't play a single series with home court advantage. Also... ran through prime Malone + Stockton, prime Barkley + Kevin Johnson, MVP Robinson, and athletic prime Shaq + Penny in a sweep. The margin might be close, but it's in favor of Hakeem. It also helps to have actually watched both runs... which I did. Don't get me started on LBJ 🙄

@@EssAhrBee -- For the sake of discussion, Hakeem and Bird are my all time favorites. I won't make a huge argument that Dirk or Hakeem made the better run. Both are fantastic. It's like kid-me arguing: whose hotter: Salma Hayek or Halley Berry. Either is fine by me. We can debate statistics but I enjoy Dirk destroying the Heatles. lol. P.s. Lebum arguing "it was not a super team and didn't have enough help" is idiotic. Lebum had 3 #1s on the same team. Wade was a FMVP and most importantly...they were up 2-1 with a 4th quarter lead in game 4. LeBum is full of excuses -- talented, yes. great, yes, BUT ALSO mentally soft.

@@jlui21 I'm good with the "either is fine" stance. They just can't both be "most impressive". Also.... there definitely was something particularly and intrinsically satisfying about watching Dirk and co. dismantle the "Not 2... not 3... not 4..." squad 😏. I'm unequivocally with you there. Man... f___ LBJ. Seriously. I'm sure I'll have a greater appreciation for him and his career once he's been retired for a decade, but not right now. Bruh irks me to no end

Legendary games. Being from Miami those rivalry games were so intense