On the day the locked-out NBA was supposed to start training camp, Dirk Nowitzki decided to take on a difficult defensive assignment.
Nowitzki defended beleaguered Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who is being ripped after his three-interception performance keyed the biggest blown lead in franchise history during Sunday's 34-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.
"Dear tony romo. Don't worry abt all the critics," Nowitzki wrote on his Twitter account. "I heard that same garbage for a long time. Keep working hard and keep improving."
Nowitzki silenced the critics by leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA championship last season. It was sweet vindication for a superstar often stereotyped as soft. His team had blown a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals five years earlier and made three first-round playoff exits in the next four seasons.
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/7054627/dallas-mavericks-dirk-nowitzki-backs-dallas-cowboys-tony-romoAnother Dallas thread? Who woulda thunk?