Nowitzki handcuffing Mavs to bedpost of runner-up

Dirk Nowitzki's comments yesterday portended ill for his performance in the biggest game of the year. Sure enough, he disappointed in a number of ways, and they all stemmed from one problem: when the going gets tough, Nowitzki gets petulant.

Think back to last year's playoffs. Dirk struggled in both rounds, and every time a team bodied up and made his life difficult, he began forcing un-set shots out of rhythm, careening out of control towards the basket to draw a foul, and screeching at teammates and refs at every turn. This came to a head in overtime of the last game of last season against the Suns, when Nowitzki was so mad Nash forced overtime that he dominated the ball, took terrible shots, and single-handedly sunk the Mavs.

Last night, Dirk did more of the same. He wasted several crucial possessions by hoisting up well-covered fade-aways off one foot or barreling into traffic and flinging the ball off the backboard, only to make a whiny face when the refs didn't reward him with a call. When the best player on the team loses his cool, how can other Mavericks be expected to maintain full confidence?

As I mentioned yesterday, Dirk is my favorite NBA baller. Overall, he's having an MVP-type year. But his one tragic flaw may doom him to 2nd-tier status against the very elite teams. Dirk must learn how to remain under control and let the game come to him if he's struggling. His gack-jobs force his teammates to shoulder the extra burdens of picking up his slack and making up for his mistakes. Until he stops making so many of the latter, it'll be hard for them to do enough of the former.