Dirk Wins MVP Award

[Karma]

It's Official: Dirk Named MVP​

Press Release - 05/15 - 12:13 PM EST (AP Photo)
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks was named the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2006-07 season, the NBA announced today.

The nine-year NBA veteran totaled 1,138 points, including 83 first place votes, from a panel of 129 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.

Rounding out the top five in voting for MVP were Phoenix’s Steve Nash (1,013 points/44 first-place votes), the Los Angeles Lakers ’ Kobe Bryant (521 points/two first-place votes), San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (286 points) and Cleveland’s LeBron James (183 points).

Nowitzki is the first European-born player to win the NBA MVP Award and joins Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets (1993-94), Duncan (2001-02 and 2002-03) and Nash (2004-05 and 2005-06) on the list of international players that have captured the Podoloff Trophy.

RealGM

Now everyone remember it was the regular season, before you all go off on your rant about how he was horrible in the playoffs.

 

[James]

I dont get the argument or why people are mad about it, there are 2 awards, regular season MVP, and NBA Finals MVP, Dirk wasnt the best in the Post-Season, but he was the best in the regular season. End of Story.

 

[Karma]

2006-07 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD VOTING RESULTS

Player, Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Pts
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 83 39 7 - - 1138
Steve Nash, Phoenix 44 74 11 - - 1013
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 2 11 65 30 9 521
Tim Duncan, San Antonio - 3 25 39 23 286
LeBron James, Cleveland - - 11 31 35 183
Tracy McGrady, Houston - 2 6 16 18 110
Chris Bosh, Toronto - - 3 4 16 43
Gilbert Arenas, Washington - - 1 4 14 31
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota - - - 2 1 7
Carlos Boozer, Utah - - - 1 4 7
Chauncey Billups, Detroit - - - 1 1 4
Dwyane Wade, Miami - - - - 3 3
Shaquille O’Neal, Miami - - - 1 0 3
Amaré Stoudemire, Phoenix - - - - 2 2
Carmelo Anthony, Denver - - - - 1 1
Baron Davis, Golden State - - - - 1 1
Tony Parker, San Antonio - - - - 1 1

 

[Karma]

Dirk Nowitzki Q & A​

SECAUCUS, N.J., May 15, 2007 -- Less than two hours after ending Suns guard Steve Nash's two-year reign as the league's most valuable player and becoming the first player from Europe to capture the award, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki took a couple of minutes to chat with the one-man Race to the MVP committee.

R2MVP: Does it make it any more special to be named MVP since you are the first European-born player to receive the accolade?

Nowitzki: It is a great accomplishment but once I'm out there on the court, I don't worry about being from Europe or Germany. I'm always trying to represent my country the right way. I understand I have a lot of fans in Europe and hopefully they can cherish this moment. There have been a lot of great European players who opened the door for me and this is a tribute for them.

R2MVP: You guys had a truly remarkable season, winning 67 games, which tied for sixth most in league history. Talk a little bit about the year from a team standpoint.

Nowitzki: To think that I helped a team win 67 games is really special. We won, we had fun, we worked hard and it was a great ride. It is hard to describe winning 67 games.

R2MVP: Did losing in the first round to the Warriors put a big damper on your great regular season?

Nowitzki: Winning the MVP is a great honor not only for me but also for my teammates and the franchise. It is a little hard for me to be happy with the way the postseason went. It puts a shadow on the regular season we had. As time goes by, I'll be able to enjoy it more like when my career is over.

R2MVP: If you were voting for MVP, who would you have chose?

Nowitzki: I'm a modest guy so I would never vote for myself. I probably would have voted for Steve or maybe Kobe, especially after the show he put on after the All-Star break with all of his 40- and 50-point games. Just like with the All-Star Game, I always think there are a lot of players who deserve awards. I think I deserved it last year as much as I did this year.

R2MVP: Since the MVP is a regular-season award, do you wish it was handed out before the playoffs started?

Nowitzki: Yeah, I'd be a lot happier. I do understand it is a regular-season award to a player who had a special season. Our postseason loss was tough.

R2MVP: What did the Warriors do to give you guys problems?

Nowitzki: It was bad timing. We faced the hottest team at the wrong moment and they were riding a wave. They had to win a lot of games at the end of the season to get in and it carried over to the playoffs. We coasted at the end of the season and didn't have any big games. I think that might have hurt us. I have to give them all of the credit. They exploited our weaknessess. I'm going to see what we did wrong, see what I need to do to get better and try to improve for next season.

R2MVP: You and Nash are good friends. How cool is it that you guys are arguably the top two players in the NBA and that you have captured the last three MVPs?

Nowitzki: That is definitely special. Once we first got to Dallas, nobody thought we could even be role players. We worked hard together. We'd come back to the gym to shoot, play one-on-one, play Horse and lift weights. We were always working on our game together. We both wanted to take the Mavs organization to another level. It really was a fun ride and I'm lucky to have been around him and to have met him. I'm proud to be in the same catergory as him. He's really special and I'm glad with everything he's accomplished with the Suns.

NBA.com

 

[Karma]

Karl Malone on the MVP Award

"He deserves to be the MVP. He had a great year. He deserves it. His team had 67 wins. That's a great season. He shouldn't have any letdown if he wins. It's an honor he deserves, and he should accept the MVP trophy with a lot of pride. He should have no shame, because he earned it. But it's not about the playoffs," the Hall of Famer said. "Dirk did a great job all season. When you get double- and triple-teamed in the playoffs, it's hard to get off a shot. It's tough when you got guys swarming you all the time. You can't do anything. You can't put the blame on one guy. It's not a one-man team. It's a unit. You win with 12 guys. He did a great job with the Mavs. There's no shame there."

 

[Karma]

Nowitzki bashing has been so popular the past few weeks, it may have reached American Idol, MySpace and YouTube status.

Since the Maurice Podoloff Trophy is a regular-season award:

It doesn’t matter that Nowitzki, who put up decent numbers in his six postseason games (19.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists), joined Wes Unseld, who played for the Baltimore Bullets in 1969, and Moses Malone, who was with the Houston Rockets in 1979 and 1982, as the only MVPs to lose in the first round.

It does matter that Nowitzki was the driving force on a team that posted a league-best record of 67-15 (tied for sixth best mark in league history).

It does matter that Nowitzki’s team had three winning streaks of at least 12 games.

It does matter that the Nowitzki-led Mavericks became just the 12th squad in league history to win more than 65 games. Of those 12 teams, 10 had players who were rewarded with an MVP selection.

It does matter that Nowitzki averaged 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and a career-high 3.4 assists per game.

It does matter that Nowitzki was the only player in the league to shoot 50-90-40. He made 50 percent of his shots from the field, 90 percent from the foul line and 42 percent from the 3-point line.

It does matter that Nowitzki in his ninth season at age 28 finally improved defensively.

It does matter that Nowitzki was more than happy to defer to his teammates and that his game transcends raw numbers.

It does matter that Nowitzki, who is a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA First-Team selection, represents everything that an MVP should be. He combined outstanding individual accomplishment with exceptional team success.