Nowitzki's season ends in sweep: The Mavericks' title defense came to an abrupt end on Saturday, with a 103-97 loss to the Thunder that ended their first-round playoff series in a 4-0 sweep, and that meant Dirk Nowitzki’s 14th NBA season came to an end as well. Nowitzki did his best to extend the series, scoring 34 points on 10 of 25 shooting, to bring his average for the series to 26.75 points per game, however the Thunder outmatched the defending NBA Champions in a four-game sweep. (Updated 05/06/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/26/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Nowitzki struggled this season, by his standards, as he scoring and rebounding fell to their lowest levels since his second season in the league. He still managed put up 21.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, more than solid numbers, however they were his lowest since the 1999-00 season. Nowitzki also shot 45.7 percent from the field, his worst showing since he was a rookie. While all of these numbers represent some of the worst of his career, Nowitzki was still one of the best forwards in all of Fantasy. The Mavericks are set to retool in the offseason, with lots of cap room, so he could have some more help on the way. He should be considered a first or second-round pick on Draft Day in all Fantasy formats. (Updated 05/06/2012).
Dirk Nowitzki finished 23rd overall in Head-to-Head Fantasy points last season in standard-scoring CBSSports.com leagues after he had finished among the top 12 scorers in nine consecutive seasons coming in. The reason for the mild drop had little to do with a decline in overall production (his numbers remained mostly on par), but the fact that he missed eight games due to injury to mark the season with fewest games played for Nowitzki since his rookie year. His stability as the go-to guy in Dallas has made him one of the more reliable first-round options in Fantasy hoops over the past decade -- regardless of format. As long as Dirk can remain healthy, and there is no reason going into the season to believe that will not be the case, he remains worthy of a selection in Round 2 as a player who may offer great value coming off what some may perceive to be a "down" year. While the pieces around Dirk have changed over the years, his role has not varied much at all. We expect more of the same from him in 2011-12. (Updated 8/28/11)
