FlipBoard
Who do you want your offense to run through with everything on the line? Counting down 30th to 1st (one per team), I’ve ranked the League’s go-to guys…
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Whoever came up with the line, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” should have made a fortune off advertising royalties — and they just happened to coin the phrase that has defined Dirk Nowitzki’s career.
Going into his 12th NBA season, Dirk is headed for the Hall of Fame. He’s got a League MVP under his belt, nine All-NBA selections, eight All-Star nods, career averages of 22.7 points (25th all-time) and 8.6 rebounds, and a resume full of big-time clutch moments in the postseason and regular season. But still, when his name pops up in discussions of clutch players, the first word out of several mouths is “choker.”
“Forget just the game-winners — of which he has plenty — and count the backbreaking daggers Dirk hits on a regular basis. I’m talking about those times when Dallas is up by five on the road, the opponent is rallying, and Dirk sticks a three to take all the air out of the building. And how many guys in the NBA would you rather have shooting those end-of-game free throws when the opponent is fouling to try and stay alive? Clutch, after all, doesn’t just happen when there’s five seconds left.”
I wrote that paragraph last season as part of my argument for placing Dirk ahead of Chris Bosh in the “Who’s Better?” series, and in a lot of ways, it was also the early foundation for this series — when I first put down on paper and really started paying attention to the fact that being clutch means more than just hitting buzzer-beaters; that being a go-to guy is a full-time job and not just a situational thing.
As much criticism as Dirk gets, his numbers are actually higher or even across the board in the playoffs than in the regular season. In 97 postseason games — which includes one trip to the NBA Finals and two Western Conference Finals appearances in an era where the West has been tougher and deeper than ever — Dirk has averaged 25.5 points and 11 rebounds, and his shooting percentages (45-36-87) are only slightly lower than usual.
Few players on this list can claim to be the greatest of all-time in any single facet of the game; Dirk holds status as the best shooting big man ever. And it’s not just a nice title, it’s the foundation of his attack. From last season’s Dirk defense:
“From 25 feet and in, he’s a consistent finisher with a plethora of moves (best up-fake in the League) that make him a lethal scorer against any defender (best fadeaway in the League). Whoever is in front of him, Dirk can drop buckets and create mismatches. If his jumper is off, he can go inside and/or get to the line, where he’s automatic.”
Since the 2000-01 season, the Mavericks have won 50 or more games every year. They’ve lost in the conference Finals to Tim Duncan‘s San Antonio dynasty, and in the NBA Finals to D-Wade and Shaq‘s Miami title team. They have been one of the most successful NBA franchises of this decade. Throughout that run, Dirk has been the franchise guy. That alone warrants him high ranking, but if you can see clearly past the “choker” label and look at what Dirk really does between the lines, you’ll understand why he’s near the top.
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7. Brandon Roy
8. Carmelo Anthony
9. Chris Paul
10. Deron Williams
11. Vince Carter
12. Joe Johnson
13. Danny Granger
14. Steve Nash
15. Kevin Durant
16. Gilbert Arenas
17. Derrick Rose
18. Chris Bosh
19. Andre Iguodala
20. Tracy McGrady
21. Baron Davis
22. Michael Redd
23. Devin Harris
24. Kevin Martin
25. Al Jefferson
26. O.J. Mayo
27. Stephen Jackson
28. Nate Robinson
29. Boris Diaw
30. Rip Hamilton
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choker? hell no the german is clutch and imo the second best pf of the last decade (f u kg). dirk should be higher than any boston player.
who’s left on this list? Kobe, Timmy, DWade, Lebron and Kwame Brown???
Dirk has no defense, at all, but who cares – he can score the fuck out of the ball
I wonder who the last 5 are gonna be
Wade
LeBron
Tim Duncan
Kobe
Pierce/Garnett
in no particular order
oh, Austin wrote this – top6 will have Timmy, Tony and Manu
…as it should!
no fuckin way kg makes list
Hahaha I love the Spurs fans on this site.
I agree with this, unless Duncan is picked ahead of Dirk. Duncan is certainly the more well rounded player, but as a “go to guy”, I’d put Dirk’s offense above his.
At this stage in their careers, I’d put Dirk over Manu, too, even though Manu has made a case for his go-to status earlier in the decade.
TP is a beast, though, so if that’s who you pick for the Spurs, I might not have a problem.
Dirk only has one go-to move in the clutch, but that jump shot is so smooth all you can do is try to get a hand in his face and pray he clangs it short. Who can guard that? Bigs can’t crowd him and the quick guys don’t have the height.
I don’t know who the Spurs go-to player will be. Either Timmy or Manu. Manu has the ball more in the final seconds, but dishes just as often as he shoots. Timmy’s probably hit more game winners.
I really hate Paul Pierce, but he should definitely be top 5. Kobe has to be number one, Bron probably 2, Wade 3 and Duncan 4. I say Duncan ahead of PP cuz Duncan has won more.
igp
if you go by who wins more then its duncan one and lebron is not even in the top 5.
for the spurs is manu the go to guy austin would prob pick tp
1. Kobe- 60 something points in 2 quarters, an 81 point masterpiece and 4 rings and a finals MVP and regular MVP
2. Dwyane Wade- he won them a championship and because of last years dominance and finals MVP
3. Lebron- his dominance and all his triple doubles and shear freakishness and MVP
4. Paul Pierce- no explanation needed- finals MVP
5. Tony Parker
i hate dirk with a passion but dude can score. i think carmelo should be ranked higher considering its refering to go to players, melo has one of the highest percentages for making game winning shots.
[www.82games.com]
considering dirks “new look”, i expect any day to see him around here.
[www.peopleofwalmart.com]
oh and check out page 12 at peopleofwalmart reign man shops at wally world?
“Going into his 12th NBA season, Dirk is headed for the Hall of Fame.”
that’s funny, considering last year when you had this HOF in or out thing he was out. So what exactly changed in that year?
@ Ian
Ironic, my name is Ian too.
I see what you are saying, but winning obviously counts and Bron is obviously a top 5 clutch player. Paradox.
@ flavur
what was that?!
You explained the reasoning behind picking the 3 best players in the league – like you needed to convince someone and then nonchantly state PP doesnt need any explanation! To be brutally honest, he’s lucky to be ahead of Dirk despite winning a ring. The reason being for years when he franchise guy, the Celtics were dwindling in the lottery. I know he had a poor team but still that’s got to count for something, right? I’m not denying his place but he ought to be here rather than at 5. Even as a Suns fan, he better not be ahead of TD or TP!
I really think that Dirk is a choker, or maybe i just happen to watch a game where he missed some important shot with the game on the line.
great dime piece on Dirk….D-town stand up!
who on the spurs would you pick over dirk/roy/melo/or cp3? unless this is a career achievement ranking there’s no way manu or TD are better than 10th on this list. i understand TD is a HOF big man but really you’d want him over roy next season? you’re lucky if manu and tim are even dressed for the game at this point in their careers let alone getting you clutch points and parker is good, really good, but better than melo or roy or paul?
all of the players listed from 6-30 are perimeter players… yeah Dirk is a perimeter player!
That leaves out Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan out of the top 5.
Here are my top 5 go to guys:
Kobe
Wade
Lebron
Paul Pierce
Manu Ginobili… don’t you ever forget Manu
This was a really great writeup. Easily the best article of the series.
Manu has to be top 5. Timmy can’t hit his free throws and is mechanical. The O goes through Manu when it matters.
my top 5 go to guys for me:
Spurs – Tony Parker
Cavs – LeBron James
Lakers – Kobe Bryant
Heat – Dwyane Wade
Celts – Ray Allen
5 spurs – TD. just when you thought it was over, dude puts you to school. that 3 that killed shaq’s 1st yr w the suns in the playoffs 2 yrs ago should go down as his best shot ever. that was cold. that was sick.
4 celts – jesus came back just in time for the playoffs last season, the truth was getting burned by john salmons (!) and ty thomas
3 lebron james – superstar calls, gets away with carrying the ball so damn much (someone add a link to that wizards series here)
2 wade – zigzags his way to the rim with ease. added some range. gets a lot of calls from the refs too.
1 kobe – shut the fuck up. you know why.
Dirk? Terry, and Stack used to carry him in the playoffs. Terry doesn’t it all now solo.
dirk is a legend and sure fire hof’er, no question. his unique game has had a large impact on the sport.
he is very clutch and very dedicated. a pro thru and thru. from someone that has been privileged to watch him day in day out for his career, it has been a pleasure.
the only thing left for this man is a ring. and i sure would not bet against him getting one before his playing days are over.
Clanging/airballing/blocked fadeaways over the 6-7 James Posey…Nah, this guys no HOF-er.
Dirk isn’t clutch at all!
Great Piece, Austin.
This article is well deserved. Dirk is just a heck of a player.
if u think dirk don’t play D
then check his steals per game and blocks per game for this season