SAN ANTONIO _ The only problem with Mark Cuban's magnificent retirement party for Dirk Nowitzki is that it didn't take.
The retiree was back on the job Wednesday. Fortunately, this violation of protocol didn't seem to bother anyone, least of all the locals who greeted Dirk as if Sam Houston had finally shown up.
Here at the after-party in the AT&T Center, there were no headliners. No Charles Barkley, no Larry Bird, no Scottie Pippen or Detlef Schrempf or Shawn Kemp.
No billionaire promising Dirk a statue or a job.
Just cheers. And tears.
One last rival showing a little love.
The tributes started a couple of hours before the game against the Spurs, when Gregg Popovich dropped his wiseguy persona and heaped praise on one of his favorite players. Talked about how Dirk changed the game by inventing the stretch 4. Cited his "skillful ferocity." Called him "a warrior." Considered it an honor just to watch him play.
And then he put a spectacular career in its proper perspective.
"There's no next Michael," Pop said. "There's no next Kobe.
"There's no next Dirk."
This is a realization a long time coming for many NBA fans. Too long, if you ask Rick Carlisle.
The Mavs' coach has enjoyed the crowds in Charlotte and Boston, pulling for Dirk to make a shot. Spurs fans were no less enthusiastic Wednesday.
On Dirk's first attempt, a 3-point shot early in the first quarter, fans inhaled as one as the ball went up.
Next came a long "oooooooohhhhhh" as the ball bounced away.
All the warmth, love, respect, adulation, cheering and chanting these last few months struck Carlisle as appropriate.
And all but too late.
"People now finally understand," Carlisle said, "that this guy is one of the all-time greats in the history of the game."
Frankly, a lot of us were slow to come around, mostly because Dirk wasn't a prototypical power forward. There was no resemblance with Karl Malone. Dirk got an undeserved reputation as a finesse player as a result. He wore it without complaint until Game 7 of the 2006 playoffs against the Spurs in AT&T Center. Down by three with 21 seconds left in regulation, Dirk put the ball on the floor and the Mavs on his back. He made the layup and the free throw, too. The Mavs went on to win in overtime on Dirk's 37 points.
For anyone marking Dirk's progress as an NBA player, it was the moment he grew up. The little brother finally beating the big brother, is how Dirk recalls his favorite playoff memory.
"That was a great moment for him," Pop said Wednesday, a little too emphatically. "I think he got touched with a feather."
Pause.
"A feather."
Another pause.
"Lord."
Excuse Pop, but he can't let a moment as tender as Dirk's retirement pass without a little sarcasm. His sentiments, though, remain clear. Doc Rivers' were harder to figure at first. No one understood what the Clippers' coach was doing in February when he called a timeout with nine seconds left in a game against the Mavs and picked up a microphone. He then urged fans at the Staples Center to give a standing ovation to "one of the greatest of all time."
A show of respect for an aging rival on his victory lap isn't unusual. Gifts are typical. The Angels gave Derek Jeter a surfboard. Chipper Jones got a year's supply of sausage from Milwaukee. The Rangers even went so far as to dedicate a locker to Cal Ripken in the visitors' clubhouse.
The gestures are nice, of course, even if you don't surf. The farewells to Dirk have been a little different. Mavs officials told opponents he didn't want videos. Too ostentatious for a hero so humble. Even so, the Heat put together one with Dirk and Dwyane Wade, also making his exit.
Adam Silver showed a nice touch in February when he named Dirk and Wade honorary All-Stars. Dirk entered the game with 30 seconds left in the first quarter to an ovation. When he made a 3-pointer a few seconds later, the crowd went crazy. After another bomb from way beyond the arc, Dirk's teammates lost it. The way they celebrated, you'd have thought Silver had legalized pot.
Meanwhile, Wade's All-Star performance was greeted by one and all with polite applause.
On his way out the door, Dirk is suddenly a rock star. Go figure. If we were slow to grasp the greatness of someone that Charles Barkley once called "the best combination of player and person ever," we get it now.
"He's beloved," Pop said, "and he's earned every bit of it."
If you were wondering, Dirk appreciates the gestures. More than you know. As a 90-second video played before Wednesday's game, the honoree could hardly bring himself to watch. Unable to raise his head afterward, tears streaming down his face, he simply waved. Then he went out and played the final game of a remarkable career.
There will be no encore this time. There won't be anything like it again.
