Dirk Nowitzki was asked before the NBA Finals about comparisons to Larry Bird and downplayed the connection.

I'm trying to do my own thing. I'll never live up to Larry Bird. He's got the championships, he's a born winner, and I'm just a kid from Germany who came over to play the sport that I love and hopefully ultimately win a ring.

Marc Stein asked Larry Bird about those same comparisons prior to Game 1. Bird said that he does see the connection and that he is honored by the comparison.

He rebounds. He plays at his own pace. He sort of controls the tempo on offense.

He's got the step-backs. He gets to the rim. The difficulty of some of the shots that he makes ... one thing about him is that he's always got great balance. His shot looks like he's falling away, but he's got a lot of balance when the shot goes up.