Dirk Nowitzki’s Shot At Redemption

Dirk Nowitzki is doing his best to shake a monkey off his back. Last night, Nowitzki hit a clutch three to beat a talented Utah Jazz team and put the Dallas Mavericks (50-29) back in the playoffs, where he might regain the ability to show his face in public.

A year ago, after posting a dominating regular season record of 67-15, 2007 NBA MVP Nowitzki and the one seed Mavs were embarrassed in the first round of the playoffs by the eight seed Golden State Warriors (Ay Bay-Bay), a team that had just barely made the postseason. The basketball equivalent of a younger brother giving his older brother's woman the Jamaican accordion led many to question Nowitzki's leadership and manhood. The big German questioned himself, too (though not his manhood, as far as we know). He disappeared into the Australian outback on a backpacking trip to hide from the world.

Now, with a new teammate'onetime superstar point guard Jason Kidd'and an eighth straight season of 50 wins and a playoff appearance, it's possible that Nowitzki could shed his shame. Then again, the Western Conference is a beast, and beasts can only be tamed by bestiality (or so we hear). Soon we'll know if Nowitzki is ready to shake that monkey off and give it some stiff German discipline. Watch Dirk's clutch performance from last night after the break.

BONUS The end of last year’s Mavs-Warriors series: