5/13/2007

DALLAS (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki has been chosen as the NBA's MVP for leading the Dallas Mavericks to one of the best regular seasons in league history, a team official told The Associated Press on Friday.

The formal announcement will come Tuesday at a news conference, said the team official, who requested anonymity because the announcement is pending.

Nowitzki and the Mavericks went from a league-best 67 wins to a stunning first-round elimination by eighth-seeded Golden State, with the big German quite un-MVP-like for most of the series.

Voting was completed before the playoffs.

The story was first reported late Thursday by ESPN.com.

Nowitzki becomes the first MVP in 25 years not to win a single playoff series; it last happened to Houston's Moses Malone in 1981-82. That failure is likely to be remembered more than the fact he's the first European honoree, and the first not to have attended a U.S. high school or college.

Nowitzki's victory also ends the two-year reign of his good friend and former teammate Steve Nash of Phoenix. After blossoming into star players together in Dallas, one of them has been the MVP all three seasons since they've been separated.

Nowitzki earned it this time by being the best player on the best team, leading the Mavericks in scoring (24.6 points per game) and rebounding (8.9 per game).

He was an All-Star for the sixth straight year and started the game for the first time. That was a first for a Dallas player -- as is this honor. On Thursday, he was chosen to the all-NBA first-team for a third straight year.

While Nowitzki's ninth season wasn't his highest-scoring, it was his most accurate. He set career-highs in shooting percentage on field goals (50.2), 3-pointers (41.6) and free throws (90.4); no other player in the league topped 50, 40 and 90 percent.