Back to the Dallas Mavericks Newsfeed

Kevin Durant's costly injury brings back memories of Mavs not allowing hobbled Dirk Nowitzki to play in 2003 playoffs

Play or not play?

A simple question with often complex answers and implications - a conundrum with which injured athletes, teams and medical staffs have grappled for decades.

The Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant took what they believed was a medically low-risk gamble on Monday night, only to have Durant collapse in pain and anguish, to the horror of most of us watching Game 5 of the NBA finals - except for those appalling Raptors fans who actually cheered.

I wonder what Dirk Nowitzki was thinking. Why? Recall that on May 29, 2003, Nowitzki was medically cleared to play Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio, eight days after spraining his left knee in Game 2.