Dallas Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki say’s he one of the most easy-going guys you’ll ever meet, and that he rarely ever hates anything in life.
During an interview on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s “Fitzsimmons and Durrett,” Nowitzki admitted he was close to hating the Miami Heat.
“In life, I don’t really hate much,” Nowitzki said Friday on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s “Fitzsimmons and Durrett” after taking batting practice to prepare for his Heroes celebrity baseball game. “I’m an easygoing guy, but that’s probably about as close as it gets.”
Nowitzki’s almost hatred of the Heat stems back to the 2006 NBA Finals where his Mavericks blew a 2-0 lead to the Heat, and subsequently lost four straight games.
Dwyane Wade later ripped Dirk, saying Nowitzki’s lack of leadership was one of the primary reasons the Mavs failed to win the championship.
The Mavericks would exact some revenge in 2011 when they beat Wade, the Heat, and Miami’s overhyped big three.
Nowitzki was also riled up when Wade and Heat coach Eric Spoelestra referred to their 7 game tilt with the Spurs as the toughest series they’ve ever been apart of.
“He might have preferred to say ‘the toughest series that we won,'” Nowitzki said. “Yeah, for sure, the way they fought that out in Game 7 was an unbelievable series, but we did get ’em.”