Check out the NBA's top 10 scorers and rebounders, and only one name is found on both lists: Germany's Dirk Nowitzki.
Scan the winners of the Western Conference's player of the month award, and he's the only person honored twice. Then look at the standings and see that his Dallas Mavericks have racked up another 50-win season and home court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Now factor in some of the other status symbols that have come Nowitzki's way lately -- getting Punk'd by MTV, playing advice columnist on NBA.com, and doing such a good job on humorous league TV commercials that he'll soon be appearing in his third one.
It all adds up to one conclusion: At 26, and in his seventh season since arriving from Germany with a new-wave haircut and unlimited potential, Nowitzki is taking the final step from star to superstar, and inching closer to the stratosphere of the league's best power forwards, two-time MVP Tim Duncan and last year's MVP, Kevin Garnett.
But to truly appreciate Nowitzki's rise, you must understand the circumstances. What's turned out to be his best season could have been his worst, considering he's without two of the most instrumental figures in his development, point guard and close friend Steve Nash, and Don Nelson, who until last month was Nowitzki's only NBA coach.
"He just keeps working to get better," Nash said. "He's more confident, more experienced and has a better feel for the game. Maybe some of it is because the team changed and he had to take on more responsibility, but I think overall it's just a natural progression."
Nash and Nowitzki were acquired in separate deals on draft day in 1998. They met in Dallas a few days later and quickly became close friends.
Then, last summer, Nash signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns, leaving his buddy behind to create his own shots for the first time in the NBA.
When Nash called with the news, Nowitzki was back home in Germany, working as he does every offseason with his personal coach-mentor, Holger Geschwindner. Coincidentally, they already had been focusing on his one-on-one game.
"I knew once Steve left that I'd have to work harder on everything," Nowitzki said. "Steve was so good at getting me open at all times. I knew it wasn't going to be that way any more, that I was going to have to make stuff happen off the dribble."
He proved he could from the start, putting up 33 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the opener and leading the Mavericks to seven wins in the first eight games. Then he started December by scoring 53 points -- a career high, franchise record and the most ever by a foreign player -- and finished the month as the conference's top player. He was picked again in February.
At 2.13m with endless range, Nowitzki's big change has been relying less on his jumper. He's posting up more and looking to drive whenever possible, plus using a great fake move that defenders fall for even when they're expecting it. As a result, he's replaced the easy shots Nash used to get him with easy points -- free throws.
An 86 percent career foul shooter, Nowitzki went into this weekend second in the league in made free throws and fifth in attempts. Better yet, as of April 1 he'd already made more free throws than he'd ever attempted in a season.
His new mindset stretches beyond the 3-point line. He's taking just three per game, down from 4.3 the last five seasons, but making a career-best 40 percent.
"Am I surprised? Probably not," Nowitzki said. "I really worked hard in the offseason."
Nowitzki was considered one of the toughest players to guard before his transformation. Now he's made it even more difficult.
Allen Iverson carried Philadelphia in regulation, Andre Iguodala took over in overtime Thursday as the Philadelphia 76ers overcame a career-high 48 points from Dwyane Wade and beat the Heat 126-119 to move up in the Eastern Conference standings.
"It's like a do or die situation," Iverson said. "A loss here or there and we could be out of the playoffs. We understand that. It just says a lot about us."
Iverson scored 38 points and Iguodala added 19, helping the Sixers spoil the return of Shaquille O'Neal with the overtime win.
Marc Jackson scored 26 and Kyle Korver 20 for the Sixers, who won for the fifth time in six games. With Cleveland's 95-89 loss to New York, the Sixers (40-38) moved into a tie for seventh in the East standings. Philadelphia, though, holds the tiebreaker with three wins over the Cavaliers.
"We had a chance to put them away," Wade said. "They are a team playing for their playoff lives and you could see that tonight."
O'Neal returned after missing three games with a stomach ailment and viral infection that left him unable to eat for several days. He scored 13 points and missed two clutch free throws in the final minute of OT.
Knicks 95, Cavaliers 89
In Cleveland, Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and Maurice Taylor had 16, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as New York damaged Cleveland's playoff chances.
LeBron James scored 27 points on 7-of-25 shooting -- 4-of-13 on 3-pointers -- and had a career-high 18 rebounds for the Cavaliers (40-38), who lead idle New Jersey (38-40) by two games in the standings with four games left. The Cavs would lose tiebreakers to both the 76ers and the Nets.
All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas returned to the Cavaliers' starting lineup after missing four games with a dislocated right ring finger. He finished with 13 points in 27 minutes.
Mavericks 102, Trail Blazers 90
In Portland, Oregon, Jerry Stackhouse scored 18 points, and the Mavericks beat the woeful Potland without Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki, who scored 31 points in the Mavericks' 95-90 victory over Seattle on Wednesday, did not play because of a sore left shoulder. He leads Dallas with averages of 26.3 points and 9.9 rebounds.
Shareef-Abdur-Rahim had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who have lost nine of 10 games.
Chicago Bulls center Eddy Curry will miss the rest of the NBA season because of an irregular heartbeat, a source close to Curry told AP on Thursday.
That includes the team's first playoff appearance since 1998, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The 22-year-old player has been sidelined since March 30 with the heart ailment.
Curry returned to Chicago on April 1 and received further tests. When those were inconclusive, he saw specialists in Boston and Minnesota.
The Bulls initially hoped to have Curry back for the playoffs but said they would be cautious with his return.
"Our first priority is Eddy's health, and we are going to be absolutely certain we have all the answers we need before he returns to the court," general manager John Paxson said last week.
After losing more than 13.5kg last summer, Curry had become an inside force the Bulls this season.
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