Smashing The Mold

Geschwindner believed he would need five years to turn the teenage prospect into a player, but it took half that time, culminating in Nowitzki's being selected ninth in the 1998 NBA draft. In return for coaching him and negotiating Nowitzki's contracts and endorsements, Geschwindner would seem entitled to the agent's standard 4% of the $79 million, six-year deal Nowitzki signed in October 2001. But Nowitzki pays Geschwindner little more than expenses. "I want to give him something, but he doesn't want to take it," Nowitzki says.

Why does Geschwindner put in so much time and effort training Nowitzki? "I'm having fun," he says. "I get to work with a player who listens to me and learns from me. I'm doing what I want to do in a field I love."

Much as Nowitzki probably would have been typecast as a center had he come to play high school ball in the U.S.—a path the power forward almost chose before meeting Geschwindner—so might his development have been stunted had he joined any team other than the Nelson-coached Mavericks. During his five years in Dallas, Nowitzki has experienced little impatience from coaches or jealousy from teammates. On the contrary, 6'7" swingman and team captain Michael Finley encouraged Nowitzki to supplant him as the team's leading scorer. Accordingly, Nowitzki has grown into a constant double-double threat and a nightly mismatch regardless of the opponent. Double-team him, and he will whip a cross-court pass to one of his skilled teammates, who had helped Dallas pour in a league-high 103-9 points per game at week's end despite injuries to 6'11" Raef LaFrentz (sprained right ankle) and backup point guard Nick Van Exel (right knee surgery). Both LaFrentz and Van Exel are expected to return in early December.

The Mavericks' perfect start has the rest of the league wondering how far they can go. Scouts point out that teams playing against a zone tend to settle for jump shots during the regular season but are likely to attack with more urgency and effectiveness when the playoffs come. Zone teams generally have trouble switching back to a hard-nosed man-to-man, but Nelson, Finley and Nash argue that their zone is based on man principles, that every Mav is accountable for stopping the player in his area and that the discipline and switching involved will only enhance Dallas's man D. " Bradley has had a big effect, because the Mavs know if there's a breakdown, there's a seven-six guy back there," says Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen. "They've shown confidence in him, and he's responded. They have a nice marriage right now."

Another question is whether Nowitzki is ready to carry Dallas to the Finals, a demand placed on virtually every superstar. The truth is, the Mavericks could contend—could be the real thing—even if Nowitzki weren't their leader every night. That responsibility already is shared by Finley (20.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game at week's end) and Nash (18.5 points, 78 assists), who with Nowitzki form what team president Donn Nelson calls a "leadership triad" and what the rest of the league refers to as the Big Three.

The synergy of that group was apparent against Seattle. While Nowitzki missed his first eight shots, partly because of a stiff right Achilles tendon, which he had been icing all day, Finley (29 points), Nash (27) and veteran forward Walt Williams (18) each took a turn slowing down the Sonics, setting them up for Nowitzki to finish them off. He did just that, knocking down his last five attempts to conclude Dallas's comeback from a 16-point deficit. It marked only the third time this season that an opponent had scored 100 points against the Mavs.

Don Nelson had watched his 7-footer's closing flurry from his office after being ejected early in the fourth quarter. "Hey, Nowitzki," said Nelson as they passed each other in a hallway afterward, "can't you make a basket when I'm coaching?" Nowitzki responded with a smile. Consider it just another break from tradition.