DALLAS — The production is a familiar one in San Antonio. A giant of a man arrives in town with skills that are exceptional, a work ethic that is unrelenting, a level of loyalty that money can’t compromise, an ego that is not out of control and he elevates a franchise to become something it has never been before:

A champion.

Tim Duncan brought five championships to San Antonio and endeared himself to the city forever. He was the essence of a professional — his greatness matched by his humility.

The production is not unique in Texas, however. The Mavericks, who the Spurs will play Tuesday in Dallas, also have a long-running version featuring Dirk Nowitzki, who is very much like Duncan, but also radically different.

They both played as power forwards and are essentially the same size. Duncan is 6-11, 250 pounds. Nowitzki is 7-0, 245.

They were loyal to their respective franchises. Nowitzki is in his 20th season in Dallas, which ties Kobe Bryant as the longest a player has played for one team. Duncan played 19 years in San Antonio.

Duncan (15) and Nowitzki (13) made numerous All-Star teams. They won the Most Valuable Player award - Duncan in 2001-02, 2002-03; Nowitzki in 2005-06.

They won titles — Duncan 5, Nowitzki 1. They were NBA Finals MVPs — Duncan 1999, 2003, 2005; Nowitzki 2011.

They made multiple appearances on the All-NBA teams (first, second, third team) — Duncan 15 (10, 3, 2), Nowitzki 12 (4, 5, 3).

But, most importantly, they have led by example.

“What they have in common is they are both coaches’ dreams,” said former Mavericks guard Derek Harper, who is now the team’s TV analyst. “Both are so easy to coach because they play the right way. They do things the right way as players and don’t call attention to themselves. Both are humble and would rather not be at something like the All-Star Game because it doesn’t fit their personalities.”

Lauded by teammates

Nick Van Exel played 12 years in the NBA. He is one of the few players who played with both Duncan and Nowitzki, spending two years in Dallas (2001-02, 2002-03) and one year in San Antonio (2005-06).

“Their preparation is very, very similar,” said Van Exel, now an assistant coach in Memphis. “Both work extremely hard. Both are like kids, just happy to be playing basketball. Both would do anything for the team — whether it was take less shots, less money or play less minutes. Whatever it is they had to do to help the team, they were willing to do it.”

On the court, however, the two were polar opposites. Duncan was a classic big man with technique so pristine that Shaquille O’Neal christened him, “The Big Fundamental.”

Nowitzki was totally different, defying the stereotype that a 7-footer had to play close to the basket. If ever a player and franchise were matched perfectly, it was Dallas and Nowitzki. In terms of playing style, he was a true maverick.

Nowitzki has established himself as the greatest 7-foot long range shooter ever. Only 12 players in NBA history have made more 3-point shots than Nowitzki, who had 1,795 through Nov. 5. The tallest of those 12 players is 6-7, a half-foot shorter than Nowitzki. And of those 12 players, only Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Kyle Korver, Steph Curry and Chauncey Billups have a better 3-point shooting percentage than Nowitzki’s .382.

“The term ‘stretch 4’ did not exist before Dirk,” Harper said. “No one had ever seen a 7-footer who played power forward and could shoot 3-pointers. He changed the game.”

He also added to it, over the years developing a fade away shot that was almost impossible to block.

“I was never the fastest guy beating somebody off the dribble, so I had to come up with something to create a little separation,” Nowitzki said. “The step-back is a good way of just creating a little separation and still get the shot over them. I’m 7 feet tall and there’s really not a lot of guys I can’t shoot over. So by creating a little separation usually they can’t get to it, and that’s how it started.”

German roots

Revolutionizing the role of a 7-footer would be impressive no matter who did it. But it was even more extraordinary for Nowitzki, who was born in Wurzburg, Germany — a city and country where basketball is a niche sport.

From that beginning, to playing 20 years in the NBA, to joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as one of six players in basketball history to score 30,000 points, is stunning.

“Everybody says he’s one of the great European players that ever played,” said Memphis coach Alvin Gentry. “No, he’s one of the greatest players that ever played, period. You don’t have to attach European or anything to it. (Scoring 30,000 points is) a great accomplishment and I think more so than that, he’s done that with his team winning. They’ve won a championship, been close to winning a few other ones and he’s been consistent year in and year out.”

Like Duncan, who accepted a lower salary the last five years of his career so the Spurs could keep key players and sign free agents, Nowitzki has also taken less to help his team. In 2014, Nowitzki accepted a three-year deal worth $25 million despite having multiple offers from other teams for the max salary of $94 million for four years. But he wanted to stay in Dallas

That was reminiscent of Duncan, who during the last five years of his career made $36.7 million. Compare that to Kobe Bryant, who made $132 million during the same period.

Duncan and Nowitzki, of course, could afford to take less money. Duncan made $245 million in his career and Nowitzki has made $242 million. But the list of players who have given up money to help their teams is a small one. And that’s a huge part of the reason that Nowitzki is revered in Dallas like Duncan is in San Antonio.

Unfortunately for Nowitzki, who has not committed to retirement yet and says he may play another year or longer, the latter part of his career will not be as fulfilling as Duncan’s. Before last season, the Mavericks had a streak of 16 consecutive winning seasons.

That wasn’t as impressive as the Spurs, who won 50 or more games 19 times in a 20-year period and would have been a perfect 20-for-20 if not for the 1998-99 labor dispute. They finished that season 37-13, which is a 60-win pace.

Still, the Mavericks were accustomed to winning before going 33-49 last season. And, even worse, they started this season 1-10, which left people around the league feeling sorry for Nowitzki.

“Losing is never fun, especially (for) an organization that’s used to winning, a lot,” Nowitzki said. “But it’s way too early to give up. You got to keep grinding. The schedule is extremely tough in November, but we got to keep grinding and try to keep finding schemes and lineups that work best. When you’re losing, you got to keep searching until you get some wins and figure some things out.”

It seems unlikely the Mavericks will have a major turnaround. Some people associated with the team are wondering if the Mavericks struggles might push Nowitzki into retirement at the end of the season.

He’s not saying but if this is his last year, he can be content in knowing that, like the Duncan production in San Antonio, the Nowitzki show in Dallas was profoundly successfully, historically-significant and, well, fun to watch.