Dirk Nowitzki knows his window for winning another NBA title is closing if not totally closed. Nowitzki has grown irritated with his teammates and their penchant for blowing late game leads.
While venting to the media after blowing another lead in a loss to the Chris Paul-less Clippers, Nowitzki told reporters that he doesn’t think the Mavericks are a playoff team.
“It’s a game we can’t lose,” Nowitzki said. “Can’t afford to lose that one.”
Nowitzki has had similar takes after a few other losses this season. The Mavs have blown leads of 17 to the Atlanta Hawks, 18 to the Golden State Warriors and 19 to the Toronto Raptors in losses. With the exception of the Atlanta loss, all of those happened at the American Airlines Center. …
“The way we let those games slip away, I don’t think we’re a playoff team,” Nowitzki said. “We’ve got to win those games. We’ve got to find a way to get those stops and protect the home court.”
The Mavericks currently are in the playoff picture, but have no shot at making any noise in the loaded Western Conference.