Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki had a fever but put the Heat on Miami

Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday gave new meaning to the term feverish comeback. …

What’s the German translation for “great series so far”? …

For LeBron James, “The Disappearance” has replaced “The Decision” as his most nagging bugaboo. …

Triple-singles in the NBA Finals do not a legend make. …

Dwyane Wade is enjoying a “Flash”-back to 2006. …

Since 1979, when Dennis Johnson and the Seattle SuperSonics unseated the defending champion Washington Bullets, only three Western Conference franchises have won NBA titles: the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets. …

Jason Kidd and the Mavericks want to make it four. …

Shaquille O’Neal, who laughingly called himself the Most Dominant Ever, never led the NBA in rebounding or blocked shots and was never first-team all-defense. …

Far from the most dominant ever, O’Neal was no better than the fourth-best center in NBA history behind Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. …

Matt Kemp would be a more viable most-valuable-player candidate if the Dodgers had a winning record. …

MVPs from losing teams are few and far between, baseball’s most recent being Alex Rodriguez of the 2003 Texas Rangers and Cal Ripken Jr. of the 1991 Baltimore Orioles. …

The last National League MVP from a losing team was Andre Dawson of the 1987 Chicago Cubs. …

Rail-thin rookie Dee Gordon, barely able to fill out his uniform, was known as Devarius Strange-Gordon when the Dodgers drafted him in 2008 but reportedly shortened his name because Strange-Gordon wouldn’t fit on the back of his jersey. …

Mark Teixeira, still hearing catcalls in Anaheim three years after turning down a $160-million offer from the Angels: “When you play well and you’re a Yankee, you get booed a lot.” …

Not to mention paid a lot. …

Speaking of which, Kobe Bryant ranks No. 2 on a Forbes magazine list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. …

Tiger Woods is No. 1. …

Noting that Frank Sinatra’s recording of “Theme From ‘New York, New York’ ” would be played at the Belmont Stakes after a one-year hiatus, Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times writes, “The Dodgers, not to be outdone, immediately announced they’ll start playing, ‘She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft).’ ” …

If Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time, he should be better than 8-17 against Rafael Nadal. …

The Pittsburgh Pirates, who made UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole the No. 1 pick in this week’s baseball draft, wrapped up their most recent winning season when Cole was 2 years old. …

Kyle Gaedele, a Valparaiso outfielder drafted by the San Diego Padres, is a great-nephew of 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel, who famously wore No. 1/8 and drew a walk for the St. Louis Browns in a publicity stunt 60 years ago this summer. …

Kyle is 6-3. …

USC fans might be leery of the Dodgers’ 19th-round pick: Garrett Bush, a right-hander from Jacksonville, Fla. …

If new Coach Mark Jackson tells the Golden State Warriors, “Mama, there goes that man,” or, “Hand down, man down,” will they have any clue what he’s talking about? …

Many NBA Finals viewers don’t. …

Jackson, looking forward to his new job, told reporters he’s excited about changing the culture in the “Bay-land.” …

Say what? …

Horse racing’s Jerry and Ann Moss, former USC safety Taylor Mays, TV commentators Doug Gottlieb and Jay Privman and radio host Vic “The Brick” Jacobs are among those who will be inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on June 26 at the Skirball Cultural Center. …

Feeling you, Vic. …

Former football coach Ara Parseghian told an audience in South Bend, Ind., last week that during a recent hospital visit he tried to help out a nurse who thought she recognized him by suggesting that maybe she knew him from Notre Dame. …

“Yeah, Notre Dame,” she told him. “You were an usher at the football game.”

jerome.crowe@latimes.com