Fan Fiction Friday: Close Calls

Photo by Contrast / Oliver Behrendt/ullstein bild via Getty ImagesEditor’s note: In a call back to days gone by, we’re occasionally going to revisit a series we did years ago, when the Mavericks were bad and Andrew Tobolowsky had words to type. Those to take on the mantle are to be honored.

There were so many times it could have gone the other way. A bounce of the ball here, a phantom foul call there. A bad matchup or a sprained knee could have altered history, creating a completely different timeline for Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.

The first bullet dodged was in 2003, against the San Antonio Spurs. In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, Nowitzki sprained his knee in a loss…