Dirk Nowitzki Tears Tendon In Middle Finger, Will Wear Splint In NBA Finals

Via Dwain Price of the Fort Werth Star-Telegram:

Nowitzki did say he is not worried, and he should still be close to himself no matter what. But his admission that there are certain areas where his injury could affect him should be a reality check. So much of Nowitzki’s game is setting himself up to take good shots, and the finger injury will make that task more difficult.

Some of the initial reaction to the revelation of Dirk Nowitzki’s injury, a torn tendon in the middle finger of his left, non-shooting hand, was relief: at least Nowitzki’s shooting hand, the right hand that propelled so many shots into the hoop during the Mavericks’ run to the NBA Finals, was fine.

But ESPN analyst Tim Legler, in an interview with ESPN’s Mike and Mike In The Morning radio show, noted that the injury might hamper Nowitzki in ways beyond his shot, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Sure, the injury won’t matter much with the actual shot, but it could affect Nowitzki’s ability to get position. Nowitzki likes to use both hands equally to maneuver his body into the perfect position to launch his patented jumper, and that may be a problem with a torn tendon in his left finger. He also likes to go left, and this injury will probably affect his ability to do that.

The news came from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, and is certainly not good for the Mavericks.

This is just about the worst case scenario for Dallas, who needs Nowitzki to be at his best to hang with the Heat. In Game 1, Miami turned the jets on in the fourth quarter and pulled away for an eight-point win, 92-84. And while dropping Game 1 by no means puts the Mavericks in a hole the can’t claw out of, having Nowitzki at anything less than 100 percent for the most important games of the season is a significant blow to Dallas’ chances.