2007 Regular-Season MVP: 67 Wins and the Mavericks’ First MVP
In 2006-07, Dirk Nowitzki delivered the most convincing regular-season case of his career and won the MVP almost without dispute. It was the first regular-season MVP in Dallas Mavericks history, and the heaviest regular-season crown of his résumé.
That season Nowitzki averaged 24.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, shooting 50.2% from the field, 41.6% from three and better than 90% from the line. He led Dallas to a league-best 67-15, the most stable team in the West. The MVP vote was barely a contest — when a 7-footer can shoot like a guard, stretch to the arc and score over bigs with a fadeaway, the old definition of "power forward" is rewritten.
The MVP meant something special to Nowitzki. Early in his NBA life, European bigs were doubted as "not physical enough"; Dirk himself was criticized as soft in big playoff moments. But the 2006-07 regular season proved, over a full year of efficiency and leadership, that skill can rule too. His MVP was also a signal that an international player could be the league's best.
Notably, 2007 was also the year he took MVP and then suffered a first-round "upset" — the 67-win Mavericks were bounced by eighth-seeded Golden State. The contrast made the 2011 title and FMVP even more precious: he didn't die in the doubt, he eventually cashed the king's aura into a championship.
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