Nowitzki vs. Shaq
It’s a favorite trick of sportswriters before each NBA Finals to pick a leading player from each finalist team and call the series a matchup between those players. This trick has always been really effective in promoting the game and the NBA. NBA fans have seen plenty of those matchups in the past: Bird vs. Magic, Jordan vs. Drexler, Olajuwon vs. Ewing or Robinson, etc. The similarities and differences between the duelists made the matches even more enjoyable to watch, although it should be mentioned that basketball is a five-on-five sport, with the seven players on each team coming off the bench also having a important role in the game, not to mention the coaches, the general managers and the owners.
This year Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks are the two teams that will fight for the title and we have to find another duel. In the case of Dallas Nowitzki, who is undoubtedly the best player on his team, things are easy. But in the Miami case, it took an investigation into O’Neal’s background to show that Dirk and Shaq have both the similarities and differences to make for a “sexy” duel. Both are great men, although their game is totally different, both are leaders in their teams, although they have very different characters.
Both Nowitzki and O’Neal started playing basketball in Germany. Dirk was born and raised in Würzburg, while Shaq spent part of his childhood in Wildflecken, where his stepfather Harrison was stationed with the US Army. Most importantly, they both really want to win the NBA championship. . The German striker has yet to win a title, neither with the Mavericks nor with the German national team. For his part, the American center, although he has already won three NBA championship rings and an Olympic gold medal in the past, wants to show that he is still the best in the league.
Moving on to the differences the two players have, the first is obvious, O’Neal is African-American, while Nowitzki is one of the few Caucasian players to become NBA stars. Dirk had played his entire life in Dallas, while Shaq has played for three different teams in the NBA. Shaq had won a lot of titles but he was always helped by great teammates, Dirk hadn’t won anything but the only great teammate he had was Steve Nash who he left Dallas two years ago. O’Neal has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration, has appeared in several films, is the author of two children’s books, and is an accomplished rapper. One of his nicknames is “the Great Aristotle” for his composure and insight during interviews. Nowitzki, on the other hand, focuses primarily on basketball and has been called “Dirk the Work” for his immaculate work ethic. He never attended college. , also loves music but plays the saxophone instead of rapping.
However, the biggest difference between them will be that, after the final series, only one of them will have the title of “NBA champion” from 2006.
