It’s one of the most iconic basketball duels of the 21st century. In late 2004, as Dirk Nowitzki was morphing into superstardom and Tracy McGrady was taking his talents to a new team with higher expectations, the two players faced off in a marquee regular-season game. Forty-eight minutes and an overtime later, Nowitzki’s 53 points triumphed over McGrady’s 48. As Steve Kerr, then an announcer, said in the closing minutes, “I haven’t seen two guys play like this in the same game, I don’t think, ever!”



The highlights are above, but Mavericks beat writer Tim Cato and Rockets beat writer Kelly Iko rewatched the full game, found here in standard definition, for a retrospective look back at this classic clash between two of the league’s greatest.



How did we get here?



Cato: This game was played early in the 2004-05 season – Dec. 2, 2004 – and it’s clear right away that both teams have major adjustments...