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Kristaps Porzingis is always going to be compared to Dirk Nowitzki because he’s tall and European and awesome. The kid from Latvia isn’t shrinking from such lofty comparisons, though. Hell, he’s shoving them in the NBA’s collective face.
Not only did Kristaps cap off a tidy 24-point, 11-rebound effort with an impossible, vintage Dirk wrong-footed fadeaway, he made sure Nowitzki knew what was up:
Dirk says Kristaps Porzingis stared him down on the bench after hitting a one-legged in homage to Dirk tonight: "That was cold-blooded."
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) November 15, 2016
Dirk was in street clothes, recovering from an Achilles injury, but Kristaps made damn sure to find him. Unicorns are cold-blooded creatures.
The shot in question:
This looks familiar, @swish41… #Knicks #NYKvsDAL pic.twitter.com/Vze543N4WP
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 15, 2016
In other news, Nowitzki confirmed that he and Porzingis missed out on the opportunity to work out together last summer:
Dirk says he gave Porzingis his number last season but was in Europe when KP finally texted him. Dirk is willing to work with KP next summer
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) November 15, 2016
That’s a damn shame, Dirk. You might have learned a thing or two.