The Mysterious Case Of Disappearing Dirk

MIAMI, June 15 -- Dallas Maverick forward Dirk Nowitzki began the game hitting his outlet man in the back of the head with the basketball. Remarkably, things did not get any better. After the Miami Heat had put the finishing touches on its 98-74 victory in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, evening the best-of-seven series at 2-2, Nowitzki hurried from the bench to the locker room, a towel draped around his shoulders after the worst game of what has been a disappointing series for him.

Nowitzki endured hurt, humiliation and horrendous shooting. There were the 12 field goals he missed in 14 attempts. He scored 16 points, but 11 came on free throws -- every one of which was accompanied by merciless chants of "Da-vid Hassel-hoff" as the American Airlines Arena crowd gleefully mocked his recent admission that he hums a Hasselhoff song at the line.

Then, with 9 minutes 4 seconds remaining and his team trailing by 10, Nowitzki turned his ankle after launching a high-arching three point attempt that -- like three of the other four he took -- missed its mark. Nowitzki limped to the sideline, eventually returning a few minutes later when the game was out of reach. He said after the game he just came down on his foot awkwardly and it was "no big deal."

A bigger deal was his production: In seven minutes in the final period, he missed two three-pointers and had one rebound. When Dallas, which converted two of 18 field goals in the fourth quarter, needed the most from its biggest star, it got nothing.

"They've been doing it all series," Nowitzki said. "They do a good job of getting it into me, making me put the ball on the floor. . . . [But] I'm not really worried about my offense. [I] just have to make shots."

It's been a sobering series for the sweet-shooting seven-footer.

Even in Dallas's opening victory at home, Nowitzki struggled, converting only four of 14 from the field. Game 2 provided a highlight; he scored 26 points on 8 of 16 from the field with 16 rebounds. In Game 3, he scored 30 points, but made just 9 of 20 from the field with seven rebounds.

"We don't want him to get into a confident zone or get into a sweet spot," Heat forward James Posey said.

Nowitzki's inability to carry his team has been more pronounced given that Dwyane Wade, his star counterpart on the Heat, seemingly has chosen these Finals to unleash his shot-making magnificence, scoring 42 and 36 points in back-to-back games.

"They're wrapping him up," Mavericks Coach Avery Johnson said. "They're putting a blanket on him. He's going to have to get that blanket off of him. Now, it's just a matter of willpower. Dirk is not satisfied. Dirk is very disappointed."

Nowitzki's showing, combined with the poor shooting night from forward Josh Howard (1 for 8 from the field), crippled the Mavericks, who were outscored, 20-7 in the fourth quarter and shot 31.6 percent for the game.

"We're not going to win too many games when two of our better players go three for 22," Johnson said.

Nowitzki seemed well-positioned for a big game when Heat forward Udonis Haslem, who has shadowed him throughout the series, drew his second foul early in the first quarter. But that development merely brought Posey off the bench. Posey not only harassed Nowitzki, he also grabbed 10 rebounds in 26 minutes, hit two three-pointers and dropped in some key layups, scoring 15 points.

"Haslem is roughing him up; Posey's playing physical," Johnson said. "Where I come from, they call it playground basketball, and a lot of time, that's what it is, because you can't expect anybody to bail you out."