"This is what I played for," Nowitzki said Sunday night in Miami. "When you come into this league, you want to establish yourself — All-Star Games, scoring, all those little things are nice. But when you get to a certain age, you've basically seen it all, and all you play for is that ring."
It's a nice sentiment, and it's one that served as shared motivation for Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion and the rest of the hungry veteran players who led the Dallas Mavericks to their six-game Finals win this June.
But how much does it really mean?
Dirk was asked Sunday whether he looked at himself differently now that he is a champion and he's proven it to the world. He answered with his all-too-familiar self-effacing shrug, the "Aww, I dunno" answer that he's fond of giving whenever the praise becomes too much for him.
Here's what Dirk's implying: He may be a champion, but nothing about him has really changed. He still has the same innate traits he always did; just now, he has a ring too.
Dirk was already one of the 20 or so best players ever to play this game. We never should have ranked him too low before he had a ring, and we also shouldn't rank him too high after. Has Dirk vaulted ahead of the Charles Barkleys and Karl Malones of the world simply because a serendipitous hot streak finally netted him a championship? Those other guys have more points, more rebounds (until Dirk passed Barkley this year, that is) and more All-Star selections. A week ago, they were better in every way. How much has changed?
Dirk was never soft. He was always a determined, focused, mentally tough player who knew how to make sound plays and lead his fellow men. He didn't start fistfights or shouting matches, and his European style of play wasn't attention-grabbing, but that was never any reason to question his character.
Dirk was never Larry Bird. He had moments where he looked just as good, but they were always two totally different players. Dirk's an unstoppable, innovative scorer; Bird could shoot but his greater focus was on the all-around game. Don't bother trying to find a comparison — Dirk is his own player and his own man.
Unlike so many of the star players we've seen capture championships in recent years — Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett spring immediately to mind — Nowitzki has showed surprisingly little emotion over winning this title. He's expressed his thoughts honestly, modestly, rather matter-of-factly.
This title was an incredible accomplishment for him, and he knows that. But it doesn't fundamentally change who he is.
Dirk Nowitzki was always a great basketball player. Now he's a great basketball player with a ring. Just a small, subtle difference that we'll always remember.
