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Dirk Nowitzki has made a career of defying basketball norms. No 7-footer has ever been in the conversation as the best long-range shooter in the game. Germany is not exactly a hotbed of basketball talent. Deferential players seldom make great leaders.

When the Mavericks traded for Jason Kidd, Nowitzki went to Avery Johnson before Kidd's first home game and suggested a change in the way the starting lineup was announced. Kidd was returning to Dallas after being traded in 1996 and Nowitzki thought it would be great for Kidd to be the last player introduced.

As often happens with Nowitzki, however, that gesture was misread. Kidd came to Dallas with a reputation as one of the great leaders of his basketball generation. And here was Nowitzki, some thought, already turning over the keys to the franchise, symbolically saying: "It's your team."

Perhaps Nowitzki's greatest achievement as a player, however, is that some perceived weaknesses are actually strengths.

The fact that he went out of his way to welcome Kidd was not because he was abdicating his role as the team leader, it was precisely because of it.

"He could have made it a lot harder," Kidd said. "There's no doubt. But he's low maintenance. Not knowing who he really is on the other side, you don't know what superstars are like. And then to come over here and see how low maintenance he is, how easy going is just amazing. He just wants to play and win."

That was evident -- again -- on April 2 against Golden State when the starting lineup was announced and Kidd was the first player to come out. Nowitzki had been out for 11 days with a high ankle sprain and mild knee sprain and the normal recuperative period is at least three weeks.

But there he was, in his rightful place as the last player introduced. He played 27 minutes, scored 18 points and led the Mavericks to their first victory over a playoff-caliber team since the Kidd trade. After missing four games and watching the Mavericks struggle, Nowitzki made a resounding statement:

This is my team.

And Kidd agreed. It was Kidd, in fact, who suggested changing the order of introduction. He wanted Nowitzki to be introduced last.

"It's Dirk's team, and it's Avery's team," Kidd said. "I'm just a piece of the puzzle. For that, you try and feel your way through. And then when things present themselves, maybe you can speak up. Everybody has a lot of respect for each other's game and experience."

Nowitzki's return from the ankle sprain was an example of his unique brand of leadership -- and all his teammates noticed, especially his new ones.

"It showed his toughness and showed how much he wanted to be out there to compete," Kidd said. "Eighty percent, 70 percent, whatever it may be, he wanted to play. It showed why he is the MVP and why he is who he is."

Backup guard Tyronn Lue, who signed with Dallas on March 4, noted that Pau Gasol of the Lakers had an injury that was similar to Nowitzki's and missed nine games.

"Just coming back from the injury in 10 days said a lot," Lue said. "We thought he would be out for the rest of the season. That's the same injury Pau Gasol had and he was out for three weeks. Dirk came back in 10 days. Guys looked up to him for doing that. We looked up to him already, but just coming back and helping the team to get in the playoffs, that was a big step for us."

When the Mavericks meet the Hornets tonight in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, Nowitzki's toughness and leadership will be tested again. A loss would not ensure another first-round exit for the Mavericks, but it would make the odds much more significant. Only 13 teams in NBA history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in a seven-game series to win the series.

Nowitzki is still motivated by the sting of the loss to Golden State last year. After averaging 24.5 points and shooting 50.2 percent from the field during an MVP regular season, Nowitzki averaged 19.7 and shot 38.2 percent against the Warriors.

He did his part in Game 1 against the Hornets, scoring 31 points with 10 rebounds. He shot less than 50 percent from the field, going 9-of-21. But he wasn't the problem for Dallas.

Kidd had 11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, but shot only five times. He has to be more aggressive offensively.

Josh Howard had 17 points, but was only 4-of-16 from the field. He has to be more efficient.

Jason Terry, Brandon Bass and Devean George were a combined 7-of-22 from the field. The bench has to play better.

Ultimately, however, if the Mavericks are to win, the major role will be played by Nowitzki, the team leader.

"Dirk has never been one to back away from a challenge," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. "He's intense when it comes to competition. And he's happy having Jason here. When we got Jason, instead of a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, he saw a shiny light. And that kind of opened him up. It certainly took Dirk to another level."

ONLINE: mavs.com

WHAT THE MAVS NEED TO DO FOR GAME 2

Help out Dirk. He's the Mavs' leader, their best scorer and best rebounder. Now they need to follow his example by forgetting the excuses, getting to the free-throw line, staying mentally tough and delivering.

Cut off the lane. The Mavs can't allow Chris Paul to get into the paint and create. They need to turn him into a jump shooter and scorer, and prevent him from getting his teammates in the flow. Of course, that's easier said than done.

Get out and run. The Mavs get into big trouble when they fall into their half-court sets and start standing around. They can avoid that by defending, running off Hornets misses and attacking the basket in transition.

7 MAVERICKS AT 2 HORNETS

Hornets lead series 1-0

Game 2: 6 tonight, New Orleans Arena

TV: KTXA/Ch. 21, TNT

Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM, KDXX/107.1 FM (Spanish)

Mavs adjustments

Defensive stops: The Hornets outscored the Mavs 22-2 in the paint in the second half of Game 1. Chris Paul continually broke down the defense with dribble drives.

Box out Chandler: The Mavs did a good job of rebounding in Game 1 despite Erick Dampier grabbing only four. The big problem is 7-foot-1 center Tyson Chandler. He had seven of New Orleans' 15 offensive rebounds and several crowd-charging dunks as a result.

Shoot better: The Mavs can't make nine field goals in a half and expect to compete. The Mavs shot 33.3 percent overall -- they ranked ninth in the regular season at 46.4 percent -- and made only 7-of-22 from behind the arc.

-- Jeff Caplan
Jan Hubbard, 817-390-7760
jhubbard@star-telegram.com