Dirk Nowitzki

Cross-checked NBA historical features, Mavericks retrospectives, Dallas media rankings, official box scores, and recurring fan consensus. The list balances the 2011 championship run with the 2006 breakthrough that established Nowitzki's playoff peak.

1. #1. Nowitzki scored Dallas's final nine points and finished a 15-point fourth-quarter comeback with a left-handed game-winning layup to transform the 2011 Finals. NBA: Mavericks' late Game 2 run stuns Miami · Mavericks: Dallas erases a 15-point deficit
2. #2. Forty-eight points on 12-of-15 shooting and a playoff-record 24-for-24 at the line opened the 2011 West finals with one of the era's most efficient performances. NBA: Mavericks' highest-scoring playoff games · Fan retrospective: Nowitzki's 48-point masterpiece
3. #3. Nowitzki's 37 points and 15 rebounds included the late three-point play that forced overtime in Game 7 and finally carried Dallas past defending champion San Antonio. NBA: Mavericks–Spurs 2006 Game 7 · Dallas Observer: Nowitzki's five greatest games
4. #4. A franchise-playoff-record 50 points and 12 rebounds broke open a tied 2006 West finals and put Dallas one win from its first Finals appearance. NBA: Nowitzki's 50-point playoff record · Mavericks: The day Dirk turned off the Suns
5. #5. Playing through a 101-degree fever, Nowitzki supplied 21 points, 11 rebounds, and the decisive late basket to prevent Dallas from falling behind 3–1 in the 2011 Finals. Mavericks: Revisiting the 2011 Finals · Dallas Morning News: Nowitzki's greatest playoff games

Reviewed through 2026-07-17