"Dirk Nowitzki will wait until this evening to find out if he's a reserve on the Western Conference All-Star team, but he's not really sweating it.

"I may be the first Finals MVP who the next year is not an all-star but I don't think that's really what it's about to me right now,'' Nowitzki said after today's practice in Minnesota.

What is important to Nowitzki right now is that the Mavericks have a critical stretch of games upcoming and he wants his team to build some momentum moving forward. And he has an interesting take on who might play a vital role for the Mavericks as the season meanders past the midpoint before the All-Star Weekend in two weeks."