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NBA FINALS: MAVERICKS v HEAT

June 8, 2011

Dirk Nowitzki

DALLAS, TEXAS: Practice Day

Q. Dirk, after the game, what was your night like? How did you I guess get reenergized? Or did you have to get fluids? What did you have to do to replenish yourself and feel better?
DIRK NOWITZKI: Try to get out of here pretty quick, go home, take a long shower and just go to bed right away. I had some soup and had a good meal. Just drank some fluids, drank some tea and just feel a lot better today. I still got a little high temperature, but the fever is basically gone. So that's obviously the main concern always. Anything else, the sniffles or the cough, you don't really care about that as long as the fever is gone. That's the main thing you worry about.

Q. In looking back, are you amazed under the circumstances that you were able to do what you did?
DIRK NOWITZKI: I felt I had an off-night really. Couldn't get anything going. Made my first three shots. After that really had nothing going all night. Was able to attack a little bit there in the fourth quarter, got to the free-throw line. But, really, I think our defense was what won us the game in the fourth. To give up 14 points on an explosive team like that, that was the key.

Q. Dirk, how has this team been able to become such a defensive team? Six or seven years ago if you guys scored in the 80s and scored 40%, you had no chance.
DIRK NOWITZKI: I agree. Shooting 39% and getting a big win is unbelievable. I think Tyson added a lot to his defense. He's great in pick-and-rolls, he's showing he's still able to get back. He's so quick on his feet, protecting the paint and rebounding. Haywood some of the same things, when we got him last year in the trade. So I think those two guys are great for us in the back. And I think that really -- the front guys can be aggressive, if they know somebody is behind them that covers a lot of ground, that is able to be there for him. I think then J-Kidd can get up, Matrix can get up on their man and everybody is on the same page. Our comebacks have been really ignited by good defense.

Q. Dirk, those kind of twists of fate what you did in the game sick and struggling, but to see other guys step up and finally have some balanced scoring, how important was that in Game 4 and going forward for Game 5?
DIRK NOWITZKI: Well, I really like what Jet did there in the fourth quarter. We were down nine. He comes up two straight possessions, drove the ball at LeBron, got to the basket, finished, and then back to a five-point game. Then they had a timeout, and I think we kind of had the momentum after that. He really took it upon himself to really drive and be in attack mode. That's what we need out of him. He's one of our closers.
Throughout the game I think we had our chances. We had our opportunities. We had good shots. For some reason this series we haven't made a ton of them, but we had opportunities. I thought Stevenson was great there in the first half. Gave us a lift. Made some big shots, corner shots, wing three. But we have to keep getting better. Hopefully tomorrow big game, hopefully we can make a couple more shots when they're there.

Q. Dirk, how much does a playoffs series like this, and really a playoff run like this just beat you down? Isn't everybody kind of hurting or aching right now?
DIRK NOWITZKI: Yeah, I said it already in Game 1 that everybody at this stage after playing eight, nine months on a high level has something going. Nobody is completely healthy. So it's time to fight through some stuff, and once the game gets going, the adrenaline starts flowing. I think everybody is out there and giving it their all.
But the playoffs, I mean, we all know every game in the playoffs can be a huge momentum swing. So you always want to win the game. After the games you don't sleep much. So basically for a month and a half, two months, you're living on the edge every night. You're thinking about it, eat, breathe, sleep basketball, and that's what's fun about the playoffs, but also very draining.
We have one more week to go, both teams, and we're going to go for it. Both teams are going to get their vacation afterwards.

Q. Dirk, LeBron has been struggling a lot in the fourth quarters of these games. How much of that is your defense, and how much are you guys obviously holding your breath hoping it continues?
DIRK NOWITZKI: Yeah, I mean, they're a very explosive team. The thing is with them, who is going to have the ball? Is it Wade and he's going to take a shot? Bosh? Whoever has the ball, the other two can't have the ball. So sometimes it's hard if one guy is going, the other guy is hard to get the rhythm because you don't have a lot of touches. So they are obviously going to find a mix for everybody for them to attack in the fourth quarters, and we expect LeBron to be aggressive tomorrow and get to the basket and play his game.
So we're got to be ready and we got to be a little sharper on the defensive end, especially early. Gave up ten offensive rebounds the first quarter, which was almost a killer. Where we actually felt we had everything going in the first quarter. We had the energy, we got stops and just the offensive rebounds were killing us. We have to be a little sharper tomorrow. It's a big game.

Q. Dirk, how much did you do at shoot-around today? What will you do later today and tomorrow? How much will your illness change your normal routine?
DIRK NOWITZKI: Not much. I didn't do anything today. Slept in, basically, and just watched film and walked through some stuff. So that really hasn't changed from the other day. And then I'll probably come back tonight, get a little sweat for like 30 minutes, at least get the body used to sweating a little bit. And then I'll be ready tomorrow.

Q. Dirk, I'm guessing over the years LeBron has guarded you some, assuming he has, what is he like as a defender? And if he hasn't, what do you think he would be like if he takes you Game 5 some?
DIRK NOWITZKI: Well, I think we have to be ready for anything. I think usually it's the team that loses that looks at the film and says, hey, we have to do this. Usually the team that loses has more of an edge, makes some adjustments with the coaches. So we've got to be ready for anything. Actually they did play a small lineup real quick. That was because Haslem had three fouls in the first half already. They went small for a second.
So I think we got to adjust, and whatever happens happens. We all know if he wants to be, he's one of the best defenders in this league, because he can guard multiple positions, probably one through five if he wants to. He's long, he's strong, he's quick. So he's a great defender.

Q. Dirk, before the game in the morning Jet was saying hey, LeBron has gotten the better of me a little bit so far, but it's a long series. I'm not sure he can stay with me for the rest of the series. I heard that, I'm thinking are you kidding? Are you challenging LeBron James in the middle of The Finals? When you hear him do things like that, do you kind of say, that's right, Jet get yourself fired up? Or do you say, oh my God, what are you doing?
DIRK NOWITZKI: Both. You know Jet, actually, it was earlier in the playoffs he said something, and I told him I was going to put him on a no-interview policy. But he didn't follow that either. He's a very confident young man. He believes in himself. That's what I like about him. When he has an off-night or going through a little slump, he's going to keep attacking, he's going to believe in himself. He's going to come back the next night and get some shots up in the gym, and he's a gym rat. He always works on his game.
So Jet has been great here for the last six, seven years here we had him. Hopefully we can follow through.

Q. Were you kind of blown away that he was the one that had the huge fourth quarter and LeBron basically didn't do much at all?
DIRK NOWITZKI: Yeah, like I said, it was great for me to see Jet like that. You can't expect him to always make huge, huge shots in the fourth quarters. But what I liked, he was just attacking. Even he missed some shots there at the end that kind of could have sealed it. But I like this mentality. We need him to be aggressive. We need him to get out and take those shots, because that's going to open up some stuff for our other guys. When he attacked and got some shots, that's actually opened the offensive glass up for Tyson, who was great there in the fourth. Had like two or three offensive rebounds.
So, yeah, we need Jet to attack all the time. It makes us a better team.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Dirk.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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