It is a small but illustrious ancestral gallery where Daniel Theis, 30, is now. There are not many tall Germans who are close to the championship in the NBA: Dirk Nowitzki, Detlef Schrempf, Daniel Theis – these three are the only basketball players Made in Germanywho made it to the semifinals three times.
And even if Theis’ contribution to the 109:81 in the decisive seventh game of the playoff series of his club Boston Celtics against Milwaukee was manageable, he now has real chances for the title. The next opponents are the Miami Heat, not an unbeatable opponent on the way to the finals. Of course, only one of the aforementioned trio triumphed there, Nowitzki in 2011. But if things continue like this, a final with two Germans is even possible this time – that has never happened before. Like Theis, Maxi Kleber, 30, qualified for the round of four with Dallas.
In the Mavericks’ 129:90 in the decider against Phoenix, Nowitzki was also on the floor. However, in civilian clothes, he wore a Mavericks shirt and hugged everything and everyone, but especially Luka Doncic. “What did I tell you?!”, Nowitzki shouted to the former teammates. So he knew it: Dallas finally has a squad of title caliber again.
At Dallas, Doncic is the free spirit and driver, Kleber the defensive anchor
Doncic has long been chosen as Nowitzki’s successor, which is also due to the fact that he plays best when it matters. He conjured 35 points onto the floor – an almost flawless performance, after which he enthused: “We deserved it, because everyone simply believed in it, we made a statement.” Doncic as a free spirit and driver, Kleber as a defensive anchor and sniper, a number of other adjutants, that’s the principle in Dallas. But whether that’s enough against Golden State, the spectacle troupe around Stephen Curry, is the question.
Duel at eye level: Giannis Antetokounmpo against Daniel Theis, in the end the German prevailed with Boston.
(Photo: Stacy Revere/AFP)
It’s quite possible that the Mavericks will need something they could learn from Theis and the Boston Celtics: a plan to slow down the very best basket shooters on defense. Boston managed to do this in the knockout round against the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who basically nobody can stop alone. Collectively, however, Theis and his colleagues were so successful that the defending champion from Milwaukee, for example, couldn’t “breathe any more air” in game seven, as winger Grant Williams (27 points) described it.
Both Theis and Kleber are excellent defenders. In the end, however, one thing distinguishes the currently best German basketball players from the big blonde from Würzburg: Both act as role players in their teams, they carry out special orders – very skillfully. Nowitzki carried Dallas almost alone to win the title.