Cross-era · careers 16 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Dave Cowens

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Dave Cowens 1970-1982 · Center

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Dave Cowens (1970-1982) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dirk Nowitzki was the higher-volume scorer (20.7 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 1.69× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 49.5%). Dirk Nowitzki holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #25 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave Cowens
20.7 Points / game 17.6
7.5 Rebounds / game 13.6
2.4 Assists / game 3.8
0.8 Steals / game 0.8
0.8 Blocks / game 0.6
46.6% Field goal % 45.9%
37.9% 3-point % 0.7%
87.4% Free throw % 78.5%
57.7% True shooting % 49.5%
1,522 Games played 766

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave Cowens
2.17× Points vs era avg 1.69×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 2.82×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.63×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave Cowens
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave Cowens
25.3 Points / game 18.9
10.0 Rebounds / game 14.4
2.5 Assists / game 3.7
1.0 Steals / game 0.9
0.9 Blocks / game 0.6
46.1% Field goal % 45.3%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 76.4%
145 Playoff games 89

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatDave Cowens
1 MVP awards 1
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 2
14 All-Star selections 6
4 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#25 All-time GOAT rank #51

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