Ahh, the joys of fatherhood.
The pitter-patter of little feet. Playing games on the carpet.
Gastric distress.
Dirk Nowitzki was intimately familiar with the last item on that list on Friday. He said Sunday that he missed the Mavericks' home opener with a stomach issue that may have been making the rounds at the Nowitzki household.
"I couldn't keep anything down and I wasn't really in position to compete," Nowitzki said after the Mavericks' shootaround Sunday morning. "I was sad not being out there for the (home) opener. It's always a special game for the fans, for the players.