Can Dirk do it again?

By Chris Furnari

With three minutes, 21 seconds left, the Golden State Warriors went up nine points over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Then Dirk Nowitzki decided to show up. He knocked down two huge threes and scored 12 of the final 15 points for the Mavericks.

It's about time Dirk started acting like the frontrunner for the MVP award.

For the past four games, Dirk has been playing the role of MVP, only for the wrong team. He has been consistently letting Dallas down when they needed him most. He has failed to be aggressive or knock down big shots and has let a scrappy eighth-seeded Warriors squad run all over the supposed "best team" in the NBA.

Dirk's play has been so uncharacteristic that even Avery Johnson joined the list of people ragging on the superstar. Avery directly called out his play, saying that he was "tired of hearing about how (the Warriors) have taken him out of his game and any lack of confidence."

So Dirk responded with 30 points and kept his team alive for one more playoff game. After the game, Dirk said his improved play was due to the fact that Johnson motivated him, and that he needs to get it done again Thursday night in Oakland.

Sorry Dirk, that won't be happening. The Warriors, a poor road team, nearly made NBA history on Tuesday night by closing out the top seed in their own house. When the Mavericks come back to Oracle Arena tonight, the Warriors are going to do the same thing they have done all season long -- win.

Golden State has yet to lose to the Mavericks at home this season -- a credit not only to the determination of the men on the court, but everyone filling the seats.

Warriors fans have been waiting 13 years for this moment and won't wait until the final three minutes to stand up. Expect the Warriors to get the job done on the court, and expect the fans to get the job done on their feet.

If Dirk thought he had problems with the Warriors, he is going to have even more problems with the fans tonight.

Either way, tonight's game will tell us a lot. Should Dirk lead the Mavericks to a comeback win in the series, his bid for the MVP will be legitimized. If he fails, the Warriors become everybody's favorite playoff team and the first eight seed to upset a one seed in a seven game series.

The Warriors are the most exciting team in the NBA right now, and their fans "believe." That's good enough for me -- send them to the second round.