A must read by SB Nation's own Mike Prada. 

Nowitzki's biggest strength -- his consistency -- is also his biggest weakness. It's caused everyone to misunderstand him, because they want to run him through the gauntlet of peaks and valleys we subject star athletes to these days. If the Mavericks end up topping the Lakers, there will undoubtedly be a sentiment that he's overcome the demons of the 2006 Finals and the 2007 upset loss to the Golden State Warriors. But that's only by our subjective goalposts of athlete narratives. For Dirk, things are a little trickier.

Read the whole thing. It's well worth your time.