January 10 2001
22 year old Dirk Nowitzki really came into his own in the third year of his NBA career. Nowitzki jumped from 17.5 points a game (a season where he was runner-up in Most Improved to Jalen Rose) to 21.8, with his shooting numbers improving as well as his rebounds going up from 6 to 9 per game. Nowitzki was voted to the All-NBA Third Team, marking his name among the league's top 15 best. Championships looked to be on the horizon in Dallas with a young Nash, Michael Finley, and an already All-NBA 22 year old in Dirk.
It would take another decade for Dirk to get that ring, with a whole different set of teammates and with the interim head coach this game, Donnie Nelson, becoming the president of basketball operations for the Mavericks. With Nowitzki's ascent, Donnie's excellent basketball decision making, and a string of great coaches (Don Nelson, Avery , the Mavericks consistently were atop the Western Conference, capturing the ring in 2011 against the Miami Heat.
