Comments on: How Dirk Nowitzki changed Germany and reinforced our core values

By: Andrea

Andrea — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:00:45 +0000

I’m from Italy and I started following the NBA around the mid ’90s..I can relate with many of the stuff some of you posted, like watching highlights from a couple of games on CNN daily (not sure if anyone remembers it but CNN showed an NBA-related program, lasting 30 minutes, each and every Sunday afternoon and Monday morning with Kevin Laughery, which I followed religiously)…I even caught games on DSF (via satellite) with Frank Buschmann announcing them…..though I have got to say that us Italians are way more lucky than you guys since NBA coverage over here is pretty good now. Hopefully the fact Dirk led the Mavs to the championship will change things for the better in Germany.

By: Neurosenthal

Neurosenthal — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:38:23 +0000

great read, jakob! i myself remember the dark nineties in germany really well. for some time before al gore invented the internet (he did, right?), i had to rely on teletext to get scores and then hope that cnn world sports would show small snippets. hard times for an nba fan indeed.
i hope that the interest for dirk and the nba will last a bit now. but the league pass really helps nowadays :-)

By: Jakob Eich

Jakob Eich — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 09:08:07 +0000

Good point with the comparison of the Pistons team. I wrote with Dan about it during the Finals (or Lakers series) and it really is true. I don’t think Dirk broke through this postseason, he’s steadily become better and what he’s improved most at is his defense. He used to be an absolute no-show on defense and albeit him not being a shot-blocker he consistently gets his rotations right AND strips the ball away from the attack. He’s become very adapt at that and found a way to contribute on that end of the floor without supreme athleticism as well. Thanks for the kind words!

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 02:11:04 +0000

Great article. Of course the article mostly focuses on providing a perspective what that means for basket ball fans in Germany. But it also mentions team. The writer apparently is a Pistons fan – and the Pistons with Hamilton, Prince, Wallace, Billups were – like the Mavs – a team that was able to overcome the Lakers with their super stars Bryant and O’Neil. Now, the Pistons did not have a star on their team as big as Dirk but Dirk is as humble as they come and has no problem whatsoever to be a team player.
I was following Dirk since he is playing in the NBA. For me it is easier since i am living in the US. It was really an emotional moment to see him finally break through.

By: Friday’s Bullets « jscotcastillon

Friday’s Bullets « jscotcastillon — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:14:47 +0000

[...] Jakob Eich writing from a German’s perspective on how Dirk Nowitzki changed Germany and reinforced core values (Via PistonPowered). [...]

By: Jakob Eich

Jakob Eich — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 09:32:09 +0000

I’m so feeling you Pete! Dirk’s been great for us!

By: James Bond Blog » Friday’s Bullets

James Bond Blog » Friday’s Bullets — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 02:30:31 +0000

[...] Jakob Eich writing from a German’s perspective on how Dirk Nowitzki changed Germany and reinforced core values (Via PistonPowered). [...]

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:01:37 +0000

I’m from Munich, Germany and I approve this message.
What impresses me most about Dirk is that there really is no chance to make the NBA from Germany. Coaching and scouting is just not good enough. I used to dream about playing in the NBA, too, before I realized at 14 that I wasn’t even the best player in the lowest youth league in my region, which was one of probably a hundred comparable regions in Germany alone. So I guess Dirk has been living my dream and that of some others over here and he has done it in a way that we can all be really proud of.

P.S.: I used to videotape one-minute game recaps from CNN and watch those over and over again during the nineties. That seems ridiculous now.

By: WR

WR — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:36:09 +0000

Thanks for the great read. Well done. The only thing I would disagree is that Peja was once considered a better player than Dirk. It was close, that’s true. But at least for me, things were always clear.
Cheers from Germany,
WR

By: hermievalecia

hermievalecia — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:55:44 +0000

thanks for the great post, sir…… well, what else can I say, i feel exactly the same way, eversince i saw DIRK NOWITZKI play in 2006 finals. i braced myself for the2011 playoffs, and to my surprise they swept the lakers, demolished the thunders, and finally, BEAT THE HEAT (this heart-attack-inducing finals) is the best nba finals ever). After dallas won game 2 with the big german in beast mode, i made a prediction they will win it in game 6, although game 7 is a very tempting possibility. In my mind i saw an epic scenario, the mighty german will be the last one standing because good guys finished last. Although in the real scenario I saw him walking towards the locker room a few minutes before the final buzzer. I told myself, what? you dont want to get your trophy? In the succeeding articles, he said he could feel the tears coming , but too private to show it. what’s not to like about dirk nowitzki? he’s humble in victory, gracious in defeat. TAKE DAT WIT CHU, DIRK!