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There are no Dirk Nowitzki T-shirts in the shops of Berlin or Hamburg. No giant Dirk Nowitzki headlines in the papers. Frankly, this is a lousy time in Germany to be a basketball superstar leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals and possibly a championship. His games air only on pay-TV in Germany, often starting after 3 a.m. And of course, the World Cup is just around the corner. It’s Michael Ballack, Germany’s chief attacking force, who is everywhere. “It’s just not that important here in Germany if Dirk is in the Finals,” said Patrick Kull, a German reporter. “If he wins the championship, then we’ll pay much more attention.” They’ll know no later than June 22, two days after Germany’s last game in group stage.