ESPN  

Weirdest moment of the weekend.

It started simply. Dirk Nowitzki and David West were scrambling, and Nowitzki's elbow tagged West in the head. I watched the replay several times, and really can't tell if it was intentional or not. I tend to suspect not.

But hey, if someone nails you in the head, I'm fine with the idea that you might want to tell them not to do that again.

And David West did just that. He was mad.

But there was a lot on the line. Every NBA player, at all times, is one angry moment from being suspended for a game.

So, what did West do? Even if you saw it, you might find yourself wondering: What did West do?

If you have little kids, then you know that life sometimes calls for you to rub sunscreen or lotion into the faces of others. David West pretty much reached out his hand, and rubbed some imaginary lotion into Nowitzki's cheek.

In tense moments, a lot of people hate even to be touched. So this was ballsy. It was bold. It was intrusive. It was certainly a warning, and it was intended as such.

Nowitzki stood there, looking ... what ... confused, perhaps? Not running and hiding, but standing there, until they were seperated and play resumed.

And in so doing Nowitzki earned an "F" in the eyes of observers ranging from NBA legends like Magic Johnson to all kinds of people who comments on message boards and blogs.

Lots of people wanted Nowitzki to ball up his fist and go to town on David West.

"I watched that whole thing," observes ESPN's David Thorpe. "If you watched their body language before and after the event, I don't think they even dislike each other. I don't think there was animosity. They are both hard-working, classy dudes. And I'm not even sure Dirk knew his elbow had hit David West. He looked more stunned than anything. I heard from some coaches who said 'Dirk's gotta punch that guy!' My view is so different."

Here it's worth noting -- in general, Thorpe is no pacifist. He is open about the fact that he loves players with a bit of a nasty edge. Thorpe continues:

I don't think Dirk knew what was going on. I don't think he was aware he'd hit David West. I think he was a little bit stunned by the reaction.

The smartest thing Dirk can do is nothing. If Dirk throws a punch, how do his teammates react? Does he break a finger?

And Dirk -- the player everyone has been trying to stop for years but hasn't been able to -- has to prove that he's a tough guy? Even if you buy into that, and I don't, with the referee standing right there is not the time. Never.

If you need some retaliation, you wait four or five plays and then set a hard screen, or initiate a tough drive.

But all that happened to Dirk, remember, was that some dude rubbed his face. The punishment has to fit the crime.

Also, isn't the goal to win the series? You don't do that by getting caught up like 16-year-olds in some stupid thing. I don't think the Lakers of the eighties were tougher than the Detroit Bad Boys, or Kevin McHale's Celtics. But they won five rings! If it was a battle royale, the Lakers would lose. But it's basketball, and they won.

And think about the current Lakers ... Anthony Carter put a little shove into Kobe, but Kobe doesn't punch him back! That's not the way to retaliate.

Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com has been hearing from Dallas fans who were disappointed in Nowitzki, and found the fan reaction disturbing:

... this isn't about Nowitzki's mindset. It's about yours, and maybe your desire to see Dirk "stand up for himself'' is more about your insecurities, your anger, your youth, your biases, your impotence. ... impotence, anyway, as it relates to your toughness being limited to how loudly you yell at the TV.

What is the enduring image of Nolan [Ryan] that is burned into the psyche of the locals? Is is the fastball, the longevity, the no-hitters, the bronze statue?

Nope. It's Aug. 4, 1993. It's 26-year-old White Sox hitter Robin Ventura charging the mound to engage with the 46-year-old Ryan. ... and ol' Nollie ensnaring the punk in a headlock and delivering six bloody blows to Ventura's face.

Who won the game? Who friggin' cares? Don't Mess With Texas!

Nolan Ryan has made a decent living off that headlock alone. If Dirk will do the same thing -- series outcome be damned -- he'll be set for life. I'm serious here: If Dirk Nowitzki punches David West in the face on national TV, Magic and Barkley will praise him, fans will wear T-shirts memorializing the moment, Nowitzki will never have to pay for another beer in this town, and someday, someday, he'll be named President of the Texas Rangers.

Basketball is a high-testosterone operation. A lot of adrenaline, and a lot of machismo. That's the fun part, right?

Most of the time ... One of the problems that can come of it is excessive worry about losing face. When the machismo is that high, losing face can be seen as an unforgivable disgrace.

The problem with that is that it can get you into a revenge mindset. Eye for an eye leaves the whole village blind, right? One of the beautiful things about modern culture is that we don't have to use that approach to justice. You can walk tall without avenging every little ounce of injustice that comes your way. That's progress. (If you have an hour to think more about that, consider listening to this, or get your hands on the full-length version of this about how complicated life can get when you're driven by vengeance.)

That doesn't mean you don't defend your home, your family, your health, and all that. But face rubs?

Nowitzki got to choose how to react, and he chose to be calm. That might have been right, and it might have been wrong. But it sure wasn't a catastrophe, and it sure won't decide this series.

And Nowitzki did finish with 31 and 10. It's not like he was emasculated by the event.

Let's be honest: if the Mavericks had won that game, nobody would have said anything. Instead, they lost, and there is pressure on all involved to explain why the Mavericks lost. It has to be somebody's fault. You could make a strong case out of the team's habitual inability to slow supernova guards like Chris Paul. You could point to how well Jannero Pargo draped himself all over Jason Terry. You could also wonder when, exactly, Josh Howard will be ready to play his game again.

None of that is as sexy as signing up the most obvious Maverick for the most obvious criticism. Dirk Nowitzki, fair or not, has a place in many NBA fans' imagination as the big man with the soft heart. Seeing him not react to this seemed to be in keeping with a perceived longer term beta-dog attitude.

We have all seen Nowitzki -- like a lot of top NBA players -- fail in big situations. He deserves some of that criticism.

But is he really a flawed player?

(Brace yourself for a bizarre turn of events, as we're about to discuss the triangle offense.)

Quick: who was the best player of the weekend? There are a lot of names in the mix (Duncan, Howard, Paul, etc.) but one of the biggest names must be Pau Gasol, who was magnificent in getting his first-ever playoff win.

Does Gasol pass some kind of magic toughness test that Nowitzki fails? I suspect not. In fact, for most of Pau Gasol's career in Memphis, he was seen as something of a poor man's Dirk Nowitzki. Only in the last few months is Gasol, in the minds of most NBA fans, part of a system that works -- a system the Mavericks would like to have.

There are a million differences between the Lakers and the Mavericks (including, um, Kobe Bryant). But one of them is that the Lakers use a system that rewards Pau Gasol for being Pau Gasol. In the triangle, the ball moves to exploit weaknesses in the defense, and Gasol can pass, shoot, post, and see the floor in a way that makes him incredibly dangerous -- without having to do a lot of alpha dog dominating in the paint.

Nowitzki, meanwhile, plays in a more traditional NBA offense, where he is called on, time and again, to go mano a mano against his opponent.

It's a miniature cage match. How many times have you seen him out there, with the ball, and a man in his face. Clock ticking down ... and he's not so mobile. But everyone in the place is saying -- all right, superstar, time to earn your money.

Nowitzki often gets the better of his man, at times -- including some memorable times late in big games -- he has not. (Gasol, meanwhile, gets to make touch passes to open shooters.)

So by the time we see Nowitzki's man tapping him on the cheek, as the Mavericks struggle it seems like this the thousandth battle Nowitzki has lost against a series of hard-battling opponents, not a passing moment of tension.

It can seem, in those moments, that what the Dallas Mavericks really need from Dirk Nowitzki is for him to beat that man. The same man who will be draped all over him when the game is on the line.

Gasol is lucky to be in a place where what his team needs from him is not to show people up, but to play basketball.

I don't if Dirk Nowitzki is the reason the Mavericks fell apart in the Finals against the Heat in 2006, in the first-round last year, or against the Hornets yesterday. But I do know this: he can do a lot to help your team, but he probably can not be your enforcer, and that's not the end of the world.

UPDATE: Video! And thoughts from TrueHoop reader Brad:

I appreciated your post about Dirk and the face-rub by West. I largely agree with much of what you're saying, and I ought to make clear that I do not believe responding with actual violent force in any situation -- whether sports or "real-life" -- is ever the "best" or "manliest" option. However, I think in your post you missed a couple of points, and Thorpe especially was missing the point.

First, the point wasn't that Dirk didn't deck West; it was that he just stood there and took it. It was like they were just having a conversation! No response, no aggression, no slapping the hand down, nothing.

Second, the reason that such nonresponsiveness is being so maligned is because, fair or not, it evinces an aura of not caring enough to endanger himself, or defend the honor of himself or his own team. Not responding to an act of such dishonor was essentially saying, "Yes, you can do whatever you want to me; I am intimidated; you win." True or not, fair or not, it doesn't matter whether in objective reality his response was "correct"; what matters is what his teammates and fans thought, and undoubtedly they were disheartened by it.

Third, the difference between Dirk and Gasol is precisely the fact that Dirk is the superstar called by his team to by The Man. If he can't play the role, then by default he -- and his team, and those who make decisions for his team -- needs to move into a supporting role for the "real" Man. If teammates can't get behind a guy because they think he's weak, it doesn't matter if he "really" is a great player, or it "really" was the best move to make; they simply can't get behind him, and that is a major problem.

Fourth, a point I saw missing from your post was the role of Dirk's teammates in coming to his defense. Okay, so Dirk doesn't respond at all; where are his brothers in arms? Walking over? Yelling across the court? Watching calmly? Again, fighting or getting into a scrum is not wise here; but is there any brotherhood at all here, so that no matter what no one does that to my teammate and leader Dirk? I just don't see it, and I think the fact that we didn't see anything happen is indicative both of Dirk's abilities as a leader, and how that affects his teammates.

And author Sherman Alexie emails: 

It wasn't up to Dirk to retaliate. He's the star player; you have to protect the star. It's like hockey. Dampier or Bass should have knocked West on his ass the next couple of plays.  

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)