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Monday, April 15, 2013

Dirk Nowitzki Becomes Just the Third Active Member of the Exclusive 25,000 Point Club

Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points on Sunday in the Dallas Mavericks' 107-89 win against the New Orleans Hornets and he joined Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett as the only active members of the 25,000 point club.

Most if not all mainstream media accounts of this accomplishment will state that only 17 players have scored at least 25,000 points, neglecting to mention that Julius Erving, Dan Issel, George Gervin and Rick Barry surpassed that total if their ABA statistics are included-- and it is an inexplicable travesty that the NBA and its media partners stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that ABA Numbers Should Also Count.

Nowitzki already had accumulated more than 9000 career rebounds--an impressive total for anyone but a particularly impressive total for a jump shooter who seemed averse to physical contact when he first entered the league--and now he is one of just 11 players who racked up at least 25,000 points and at least 9000 rebounds; Erving and Issel are not officially acknowledged by the NBA as members of that club.

Congratulations to Dirk Nowitzki and shame on the NBA for throwing ABA statistics down an Orwellian memory hole.

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posted by David Friedman @ 5:23 AM

2 comments

2 Comments:

At Monday, April 15, 2013 10:51:00 AM, Anonymous aw said...

For all of Dirk's flaws throughout his prime, I still considered the guy a superstar. I think he was considered chocker at one point. Which I disagree with. He had his struggles at times in the playoffs and he also had great performances that didn't lead to wins. He won a championship in 2011 and was clutch down the stretch in the finals. So maybe he silenced some critics.

Speaking of the 25, 000 club relating to active players, I didn't realize Duncan didn't reach that point yet.

 
At Monday, April 15, 2013 3:11:00 PM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Aw:

Nowitzki's playoff career is very underrated and that was true even before he led the Mavericks to the 2011 championship. His career playoff averages are 25.9 ppg and 10.3 rpg. He averaged at least 10 rpg in eight straight postseasons and he once had at least 30 points and at least 15 rebounds in four straight playoff games, tying a record set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

At his current pace, Duncan is about one season away from joining the 25,000 point club.

 

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