Dirk Nowtizki goes vintage to send game to overtime

Feb 7, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) celebrates after making a three point shot against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Trail Blazers won 114-113. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) celebrates after making a three point shot against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Trail Blazers won 114-113. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Dirk Nowitzki went to his vintage fadeaway to send the Dallas Mavericks to overtime against the Utah Jazz Thursday night.

Dirk Nowitzki is one of the few players playing today that can be considered a walking legend. The current stars of the league are all still at the peak, or close to the peak, of their primes.

Dirk, on the other hand, is well beyond the years of when he dominated the NBA with his vintage fadeaway and explosive scoring performances. He’s a legend that fans are trying to appreciate while they still can.

Nowitzki gave fans a moment they can appreciate tonight by going vintage against the Utah Jazz. Despite his age, he showed that he can still impact the game in a 20-point performance against one the of the NBA’s best defenses, then he capped it off with his version of the sky hook. The Dirk fadeaway is the most unblockable shot in the NBA today, and that’s just what he used to send the game into overtime.

Vintage. That’s the only way to describe what Dirk just did. The play might have not been designed for him, but he took advantage of the situation and hit the biggest shot of the game to cap off a 21-point comeback.

He’s one of the oldest players in the NBA and yet he can still make that fadeaway like it’s 2011 and he’s ruining LeBron James’ summer. When a statue is inevitably made of Nowitzki, it’s going to look very similar to that.

Next: NBA 1980s All-Decade First Team

Moments like this need to be appreciated, because there might not be many more of them left. The Dallas Mavericks don’t appear to be competing for a title anytime soon, and with Nowitkzi’s age getting up there it’s likely he’ll choose to retire soon. There is no guarantee yet as to when that will be, but until that day fans will appreciate every last moment they can get before he calls it quits.