DALLAS -- Jeremy Holsopple held a stopwatch and barked at Dirk Nowitzki as the seventh-leading scorer in NBA history sprinted up and down the sideline after a recent Dallas Mavericks practice.
"Too fast! Too fast!" Holsopple hollered, words that have rarely, if ever, been directed at the sweet-shooting, slow-footed 7-foot future Hall of Famer.
The Mavs are preparing Nowitzki for a marathon in his 18th NBA season, not a sprint. Every step, every rep and even every bite Nowitzki takes is meticulously planned by Holsopple, the Mavs' technologically savvy athletic performance director, and head athletic trainer Casey Smith.