Mavericks win first ever championship! Eliminate Heat in six games 105-95

By Kshell

The Dallas Mavericks led by Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki defeated the Miami Heat 105-95 in Miami to win the NBA championship in six games. For the Mavericks a team who most of America was pulling for because their roster is full of guys who came so painfully close to a title this day will last forever in their memories. For the super team known as the Heat who did their best to embarass the NBA this entire season they fall short. The main guy who created the circus Lebron James had a very average NBA Finals. The Heat scoffed at the notion of winning one title as they predicted seven titles will have to wait another year before they even win one title. For the Mavericks though this has to feel great exorcising the 2006 demons led by Nowitzki who scored 21 points today and was once again huge in the second half. One team led by their star had class throughout this entire season and in Nowitzki's case his whole career. They defeated the team who has shown no class and in James case hasn't his entire career.

In the first quarter Lebron James got off to a hot start scoring nine points in the first four minutes making his first four shots. The Heat went on a 12-1 run to lead 20-11 as it appeared they were finally going to take control of the series. Then with the Heat leading 22-15 the Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki picked up his second foul. It was the Mavericks not the Heat who responded with a 17-2 run to lead 32-24 before Eddie House hit a three pointer before the quarter ended to cut the Mavericks lead to 32-27. The Heat were led by James who had nine points on four for seven shooting including a three pointer and three assists. Chris Bosh scored seven points on two for two shooting. Wade had just four points on two for five shooting. The Mavericks were led by Jason Terry who scored nine points on four for six shooting including a three pointer. J.J. Barea scored six points on three for four shooting, Shawn Marion had six points on two for five shooting with four rebounds. While Dirk Nowitzki had just two points on one for three shooting. The Mavericks would continue their hot run into the second quarter.

The Mavericks extended their lead to 40-28 in the second quarter. Add it all up they were on a 25-6 run which had quieted the already pathetic Miami crowd. Then the Heat sat Lebron James and the Heat played their best basketball all Finals going on a 14-0 run to take a 42-40 lead. Eddie House who hadn't played hardly at all hit two three pointers during that run. Then after that it was back and forth as the Mavericks would regain the lead 53-51 at halftime. The Mavericks were up due to Jason Terry who had 19 points on 8-10 shooting and was three for five from three pointers. DeShawn Stevenson added nine points on three for four shooting from three pointers. Marion added eight points on three for seven shooting while Barea had six points. The Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki had just three points on 1-12 shooting and they led. The Mavericks continued their hot shooting making 21-43(48.8%) from the field and 7-14(50.0%) from three pointers.

The Heat felt fortunate to be in the game after yet another large run they allowed which almost burried their season. The Heat were led by James who scored 11 points on five for nine shooting but missed both free throws. Wade scored nine points on three for eight shooting but had six rebounds and six assists. Bosh scored nine points on three for four shooting with four rebounds. Eddie House provided a spark off the bench with nine points on three three pointers. Mario Chalmers making his first start of the postseason scored seven points on two for six shooting but had three free throws. The Heat one half to determine if their season would end in disappointment or continue.

In the third quarter is when the Mavericks started to put the Heat away extending their lead to 81-72 outscoring the Heat 28-21. Led by Nowitzki in the third who shot better going three of seven for eight points in the quarter. The Mavericks continued their hot shooting making 10-20(50.0%) from three point range. They were led by Terry who had 21 points 9-12 shooting including three three pointers. Barea was big with 10 points and five assists on five for eight shooting. For the Heat they had themselves to blame making just 5-15(33.3%) from three point range and 15-26(57.6%)from the free throw line. The Heat were led by Bosh who had 16 points on six for seven sh ooting. Role players like Udonis Haslem also stepped up scoring 10 points with six rebounds on four seven shooting. James had 14 points on 6-10 but was passive yet again. While Wade was struggling scoring 13 points on 4-12 shooting. The Heat had just one final quarter to avoid being the laughing stock of the NBA.

In the fourth quarter the Heat basically gave up as the Mavericks led by seven points or more the entire quarter. When the buzzer had sounds the Mavericks had won the title 105-95. Nowitzki once again the fourth stepped up big scoring 10 points on five for eight shooting. Terry added six points in the fourth as well. James scored seven in the fourth but three of which were meaningless. The Mavericks had won the title by making 11-26(42.3%) of their three pointers. They were led by Terry who scored 27 points on 11-16 shooting including three three pointers. Nowitzki scored 21 points on on 9-27 shooting but added 11 rebounds. Barea added 15 points on 7-12 shooting including a three pointer with five assists. Marion scored 12 points with eight rebounds and Jason Kidd scored nine points with eight assists. The Mavericks bench scored 43 points while the starters scored 62 points showing it was a total team effort unlike their foes.

For the Miami Heat their season was championship or bust not seen since the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers. Just like that Lakers team they lost to a team in the finals who had just one all-star. The Heat were led by James who scored 21 points on 9-15 shooting including two of five from three point range. He had four rebounds and six assists but six costly turnovers and was just one of four from the free throw line. Bosh scored 19 points on on seven for nine shooting with eight rebounds. Wade scored 17 points while shooting just 6-16 including missing all four three point attempts. Wade would finish with six assists and eight rebounds. Chalmers making his first start would have 18 points on 5-12 shooting including two three's and seven assists. Haslem gave the Heat 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench and House scored nine points. For the Heat when they had their celebration after winning the offseason championship didn't vision losing on their home court like this.

All in all, this will be remembered much like the 2004 Finals where the Heat lost more so than the Mavericks winning. Which is a shame since the Mavericks paid their dues. As a Seahawks fan who was also robbed by the refs in our only championship game I'd love to get that opportunity again to go against Pittsburgh. The Mavericks not only won the title but erased the stink of the 2006 NBA Finals and the 2007 playoffs. A team who most had picked to lose in the first round is now the NBA champions. A roster full of guys who have been so close and none of which had a championship ring. For the Miami Heat them losing brought the whole country together much like when Penn State beat the Miami Hurricanes(why is Miami full of dicks?) in the 1986 national title. The Heat will go down as one of the biggest flops in NBA history. For tonight though the Mavericks won their first ever title and for Nowitzki nobody is laughing at Rick Carisle now. Nowitzki probably moves past Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett and maybe even Karl Malone on the all-time power forwards list. For a guy who was loyal it was good to see loyalty pay off. See it doesn't always pay to run to chase a title. Sometimes it's best to just lure players to your team instead. That is what Nowitzki did and he has a ring now while James has to wait yet another season.

Observations:

- At the Heat's arena there was a ton of blue shirts there. The Mavericks had made the trip to Miami to invade the Heat's pathetic fan base. Back home in Dallas they sold out their arena as they freaked out when they won the title. The feeling those fans have well I can't relate as Seattle has never given me that joy. Dallas has had a good sports year and have won five super bowls but haven't won a championship in their city since January of 1996. For this fan base it must be pretty cool to see the Mavericks finally win the title.

My mom was recently in Dallas during their Western Conference Finals run. She even bought me a Mavericks coffee mug so I'll always have a story to tell. I'll joke how that is the $500 coffee mug(that's how much I would have won if Lebron James gave a shit) when I drink out of it. The city of Dallas deserves this more than Miami's horrible fans. Kind of a joke they have this great team and don't appreciate them. Move them to Seattle I'm sure we would actually sell out our games.

- Chris Bosh the only guy on the Heat who actually improved his perception after this season. Bosh had his bumps but for the most part stepped up in the playoffs especially on the big stage like the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals. He struggled the first two games in Miami but since then played pretty well.

In the NBA Finals Bosh averaged 18.5 PPG and 7.3 RPG. Bosh had shot 38-92(41.3%) considering he was 9-34 to start off the series that isn't that bad. He was also pretty aggressive getting to the free throw line making 35-45(77.7%) of his free throws. For the playoffs Bosh averaged 18.6 PPG and 8.5 RPG. He shot 138-291(47.4%) from the field including a finals game winner. He made 114-140(81.4%) from the free throw line. I think it would be a huge mistake to trade away Bosh which is why Bill Simmons is a moron.

- Lebron James and Dwyane Wade look by far the biggest horses ass in these playoffs. Wade took the Eastern Conference Finals off and James took the NBA Finals off. Both didn't play well in game six which was the most important game of the season. For Wade he had a great finals and already has a finals MVP. He'll take heat for celebrating too soon on his three pointer in game two and the way he made fun of Nowitzki for being sick. Wade though averaged 26.5 PPG, 5.2 APG and 7.0 RPG. He also added 1.5 steals a game and 1.5 blocks a game. Wade shot 59-108(54.6%) from the field and 34-49(69.3%) from the free throw line. Wade showed up these Finals so the amount of crap he'll take will be some but for James on the other hand.

Well for Lebron James he wasn't awful this Finals but at times you didn't know he was on the court which is just as bad. In the third quarter he would pass the ball to seldomly used reserve Juwon Howard despite being five feet from the hoop. Lebron in these finals was very average a far cry from the Boston and Chicago series where both teams are better defensively. James averaged 17.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.8 APG which doesn't look bad to the naked eye. He shot 43-96(44.7%) from the field and 9-28(32.1%) from three point range. He attempted just 20 free throws in six games making only 12 of them for 60.0%. He also averaged four turnovers a game. In the fourth quarter James scored just 18 points counting his seven today. He scored zero "clutch" points which is points under five minutes when the game is within five points. James stats doesn't suggest he totally crapped the bed but he did. One thing to suck because shots aren't falling like he wants to pretend. When in reality he was scared often taking one dribble then passing the ball. His press conference after the game proves he is a loser. The great ones have it and right now today he doesn't. How many times do we have to blame his teammates or head coach when it's painfully obvious he can't get the job done when his team needs him. The whole nation is onto you Lebron and your days of fooling the nation are hopefully over.

- For Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion and of course Dirk Nowitzki who all came so painfully close they finally have a title. For Kidd he wasn't great this series but came along these playoffs after a bad regular season. In the NBA Finals Kidd averaged 7.6 PPG, 6.3 APG and 4.5 RPG. He shot 14-36(38.9%) from the field and 12-28(42.8%) from three point range. Kidd who had been to the NBA Finals back to back years with the New Jersey Nets finally has his ring.

For Jason Terry he had a monster series after a slow first three games. Terry averaged 18.0 PPG(21.7 PPG last three games) while shooting 38-77(49.3%) from the field and 11-28(39.2%) from three point range. Chandler averaged 9.7 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Marion averaged 13.7 PPG and 6.3 RPG plus helped contain Lebron James. For the Mavericks these guys paid their dues but with all due respect one guy really paid his dues for this franchise so he'll get his separate paragraph.

- Be careful about writing off Lebron James as everyone wrote off Dirk Nowitzki after the 2006 and then 2007 playoffs. He was "soft" and could never lead a team to a title many including myself thought. Now Nowitzki is finals MVP and I'd put him over Barkley and Garnett possibly even Malone. For this series Nowitzki averaged 26.0 PPG and 9.7 RPG. Nowitzki didn't shoot that well shooting just 52-125(41.6%) from the field. Nowitzki made up for it by getting to the free throw line. He shot 45-46(97.8%) from the charity stripe and 7-19(36.8%) from three point range. Nowitzki was really big in the fourth quarter scoring 62(10.3 ppg) points. It's not about how many points you score but when you score them. For Nowitzki the man who didn't bail on the Mavericks when times were down he scored plenty of big points.

In conclusion, the Mavericks proved that being classy does pay off in the end. The Mavericks flew under the radar all season long where nobody thought they could win the title. Now they are the champions and were the better team as the series wore on. The Heat had their chance to put this series away early like the 2006 Mavericks had done to the Heat. The Heat I'm sure will have another circus offseason which could include trading Bosh and firing Spoelstra who was badly outcoached by Rick Carisle. Like I said earlier we can blame the coaches and role players but ultimately Lebron James choked down the stretch. While the Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki came through even in their teams losses time and time again. Nowitzki will never have to hear how he's soft again. Crazy a year ago if you had a poll on best power forward most would say Pau Gasol. I think Nowitzki proved to every who the real best power forward is and was. For Nowitzki this is his night and he deserves it. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban bought a crappy franchise and made them winners. Now the Mavericks are the ultimate winners of them all. The Heat had the offseason championship parade but the Mavericks will have the championship parade the Heat can only wish they had. Nowitzki showed that staying loyal and having class is the way to go. Nowitzki acted like a champion and now he is a champion. While James acted like a chump since he's entered the league and still remains a chump without a ring. Funny how the sports gods once in a while throws the nation a bone. The Mavericks are the good guys and they deserved this championship especially Nowitzki.

Mavericks use three ball to defeat Heat 112-103 to move within one game of the championship

By Kshell

For the first time in franchise history the Dallas Mavericks are one game away from winning the NBA championship. Once again the Mavericks used a late fourth quarter rally to defeat the Miami Heat 112-103 behind 29 points from Dirk Nowitzki. The Heat lost despite Lebron James recording the franchises first ever triple double in playoff history but once again disappeared in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks unlike previous games finally started to knock down their three pointers making 13-19(68.4%) from downtown. What seems to be a theme this series the Heat grab a late lead in the fourth only for the Mavericks led by Nowitzki and Terry to finish the game off. The story that will dominate this game will be James who has scored just 11 points in the fourth quarter these Finals. Now the Mavericks must win just one game in Miami to be crowned world champions. For the Heat they'll return home but they have plenty of problems that need to be fixed or their season will end in disappointment.

The first quarter featured tons of scoring for both teams. It was a change of pace from the previous four games. The Heat led the first quarter 31-30 due to another half court three pointer at the buzzer by Mario Chalmers. The Heat were led by Dwyane Wade who scored eight points on one for three shooting but was perfect from six free throw attempts. Chalmers added six points on two three pointers in three attempts. Chris Bosh scored four points on two for five shooting while Lebron James scored just two points one one for four shooting. James did have four rebounds and three assists though. The Heat shot 11-20(55.0%) from the field and make three of four three pointers. The Mavericks were led by Tyson Chandler who scored nine points on three for four shooting. Dirk Nowitzki also added six points on two for four shooting. The Mavericks shot 11-18(61.1%) from the field and made two of three three pointers. The first quarter would set up another high scoring second quarter as well.

The second quarter saw more scoring and a major injury. For the Heat they received a scare when Wade was injured and went to the locker room. That is when James carried the team scoring seven points on three for six shooting. Bosh scored nine points in the quarter on three for four shooting including three for three from free throws. Chalmers scored seven points in the quarter making two three pointers. For the Mavericks they were led by Nowitzki who scored 10 points in the quarter on four for five shooting. The Mavericks outscored the Heat in the second quarter 30-26 to take a 60-57 lead at halftime. The Heat who were shooting 20-39(51.2%) from the field and 5-11(45.5%) from three point range found themselves trailing. The Heat were led by Chalmers who had 13 points on four for six shooting from three point range. Bosh also had 13 points on five for nine shooting with five rebounds. Wade scored 11 points and had three assists on two for five shooting from the field but was seven for eight from the free throw line. James scored nine points, six rebounds and four assists on 4-10 shooting.

The Mavericks shot 23-35(65.7%) from the field and made five of seven three pointers for 71.4%. The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki who scored 16 points on six for nine shooting and was perfect on four free throw attempts. Nowitzki also had four rebounds. Jason Terry scored nine points on four for six shooting including a three pointer. He also dished out four assists. Chandler scored 11 points on four for five shooting with three rebounds. The Mavericks took the lead at halftime and for the first time all series were dictating the pacce as this was an offensive game. The Heat would suffer another big blow as Wade would still be hurting and would start the second half in the locker room once again. The Mavericks would waste a golden opportunity to put the Heat away in the third quarter.

In the third quarter the Mavericks would extend their lead to 84-79 as they outscored the Heat 24-22 in the quarter. The Mavericks continued to shoot red hot from the field in the third quarter. The Heat did great damage control as Wade started the third quarter in the locker room. Mike Miller started on the court in his place and knocked down two three pointers giving him nine points on the game on three made three pointers. James would step it up scoring six points giving him 15 points on 7-15 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists. For the Mavericks they were led by Nowitzki who after three quarters had 21 points on 8-15 shooting including a three pointer. J.J. Barea added 11 points including two three pointers giving him three for the game. The Mavericks shot 10-20 in the third quarter and four for seven from three's. After three quarters the Mavericks were shooting 9-14(64.2%) from three pointers. The Heat figured the Mavericks would slow down. Well the Mavericks had other thoughts in the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter saw both teams make a huge run late in the game. With the Mavericks leading most of the second half the Heat had kept the game within five to seven points. Then with the Heat trailing 95-90 they started to play team ball. First it was Wade who found a cutting Udonis Haslem to the hoop, then it was James who found a cutting Bosh to the hoop. Then James after a turnover made the pass to Wade to give the Heat a 96-95 lead. After another Mavericks miss Wade hit a three pointer to give the Heat a 99-95 lead. That is when the Mavericks would kick it to another gear. The Mavericks would go on a 10-1 run to go up 105-100. Then with the score 105-101 with under a minute to go Terry hit a three pointer with two on the shot block to basically put the game away. The Mavericks outscored the Heat in the fourth quarter 28-24 to win 112-103 ending the game on a 17-4 run. The Heat were led by Wade in the fourth quarter as he scored 10 of the Heat's 24 points. While the Mavericks got eight points from both Terry and Nowitzki while getting six from Barea. The Mavericks came up big once again and now are just one game away from the title.

For the Heat they still have homecourt advantage but that feels like the only advantage they have. The have now lost three games this finals all of which they led in the fourth quarter by more than one possession. The Heat easily could have wrapped this series up in four or five games with a play here or there. Now they find themselves for the first time all playoffs with their backs against the wall. The Heat today actually had good production from their bench. The Heat were led today once again by Wade who scored 23 points on 6-12 shooting while making a three pointer and 10-12 from free throws. Wade also had eight assists with two steals and a block shot. Bosh was the next highest scorer with 19 points on 6-12 shooting while making seven of nine free throws. Bosh also grabbed 10 rebounds as the Heat dominated the glass outrebounding the Mavericks 36-26. Lebron James scored 17 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds on 8-19 shooting but missed all four three point attempts. James also had just just two free throw attempts and was one for four shooting in the fourth quarter. He scored his only bucket with the Heat trailing by seven points with less than 25 seconds left in the game. Chalmers off the bench added 15 points making four of six three pointers. Haslem scored 10 points on five for eight shooting while Miller scored nine points making three of four three pointers. The Heat even got six points from Juwon Howard off the bench as he made all three field goal attempts. The Heat outrebounded the Mavericks, got production from their bench, shot well from the field making 37 of 70 shots for 52.9% and 8-20(40.0%) from three's. The Heat got to the foul line making 21-26(80.8%) from the charity stripe. Now the Heat must find the hardest thing to solve right now which is the Lebron James saga in the fourth quarter. I'll dive more into James later in this writeup.

For the Dallas Mavericks they did what they had to do which was win the final two home games. For the Mavericks to have had any shot at winning the title they had to be up 3-2 going to Miami. The Mavericks shot the three point shot extremely well making 13-19(68.4%) from downtown which would beat anyone in the NBA. The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki who scored 29 points on 9-18(50.0%) while making a three pointer and a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Terry was big again off the bench scoring 21 points including eight in the fourth on 8-12 shooting including three of five from three point range. Terry also had six assists off the bench. J.J. Barea had easily his best game of the Finals scoring 17 points on 6-11 shooting including four of five from three point range and five assists. Chandler finished with 13 points on five for seven shooting with seven rebounds and two block shots. Jason Kidd had 13 points on four for six shooting including three for four from three point range. Kidd also had six assists and three steals. Shawn Marion scored eight points on 4-11 shooting. The Mavericks offense finally erupted and now must win one final game to bring home the championshp to Dallas.

All in all, the Mavericks are so close to winning their first title. The team that almost everyone(not me) picked to get upset in the first round is now one win away from the championship. While the Miami Heat who had a championship type celebration are one loss away from being the NBA's biggest flop since the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers who lost in the finals despite having four hall of famers on their roster. The series will now shift to Miami as the Mavericks will have to win a game six or seven on the road to clinch the title which has only been done four times since 1985. The Heat instead of relying on homecourt or history must find a way to snap Lebron James out of his fourth quarter slumps. Is James slumping in the fourth or is this simply who he is? The Mavericks know they have their closer which Nowitzki has been amazing at scoring 10.4 points per game in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks led by the man who was loyal to his city are one win away from beating the "super" team. The series shifts to Miami now and the anticipation for game six will be extremely high.

Observations:

- Rick Carisle made a risky coaching move that has paid off. Usually coaches don't make starting lineup changes in game four of the NBA Finals. Carisle did replacing DeShawn Stevenson with the slumping Barea. Barea in the first three games coming off the bench was averaging just 4.3 PPG and just 1.7 APG while shooting just 5-23(21.7%) from the field and 1-8(12.5%) from three pointers.

Carisle made the switch which allowed Barea to take advantage of the slower more washed up Mike Bibby to get going early. That switch has paid off as Barea the last two games is averaging 12.5 PPG and 4.5 APG. He's shooting 9-20(45.0%) from the field and 4-7(57.1%) from three point range. The Mavericks are also 2-0 with this new starting lineup and as I'll suggest next Erik Spoelstra needs to do something as well.

- Now being down 3-2 coming back home is nothing to panic about at all. I do think Spoelstra should make a lineup change if not two. He already put Joel Anthony in at center over Zydrunas Ilgauskas who wasn't giving the team much. I think Spoelstra has to put in Mario Chalmers over Mike Bibby and just not play Bibby anymore. Bibby in the finals is averaging just 3.8 PPG which includes a 14 points high in game two. Bibby is shooting 7-20(35.0%) from the field and just 5-17(29.4%) from three point range. Most of which was in game two when he made four of seven three pointers. For the playoffs Bibby is averaging just 3.6 PPG on 27-96(28.1%) shooting from the field and 17-66(25.8%) from three point range.

While Chalmers is averaging 10.6 PPG while shooting 15-35(42.8%) and 12-28(42.8%) from three point range these finals. As you can see Chalmers at least is a threat to score while Bibby the Mavericks don't even guard. For the playoffs Chalmers is averaging 7.3 PPG on 49-112(43.8%) shooting from the field and 30-77(39.0%) from three point range. I think since there is only two games left in the season start Chalmers and play just Haslem and Miller off the bench. Maybe give Eddie House some of Bibby's minutes as Bibby has shown through 20 games this postseason that minus one game he is a liability for the Heat.

- It's raining three pointers for the Mavericks. Law of averages kicked in after the Mavericks went 0-13 in the second half from three point range in game four. The Mavericks more than made up for it this game making 13-19 three pointers. The Mavericks had six of nine guys who played hit a three pointer. Barea led the charge making four of five three pointers, then Kidd and Terry both made three for five, then DeShawn Stevenson made one of two three pointers, Nowitzki and Brian Cardinal each made their lone three point attempt. The Mavericks are almost impossible to beat when they are making that many three pointers.

No three pointer was bigger than Terry's three pointer. In the Mavericks three wins in the fourth quarter Terry is averaging 8.0 PPG while in their two losses he was shutout. Nowitzki is getting his points in the fourth quarter regardless while the Mavericks especially Nowitzki are winning because of Terry. Terry is that sidekick that Nowitzki needed in game one and especially in game three. Due to Terry's play (who ran his mouth but unlike Lebron James is backing it up) the Mavericks are now one victory away from the championship. They'll have two games to win one game to win the ultimate prize.

- Could you have two more opposite stars than Dirk Nowitzki and Lebron James? James a gift from god with his size, power, athletic ability, the ability to play all five positions. James is a 6'8" big buff black guy with tons of tattoos. James is a lighting rod which he mostly brings on himself. James isn't afraid to showboat and let everyone know about his "talents". James loves the hype that surrounds him and craves attention. James also bailed first chance he got on his original team because times were rough then made a huge circus this past offseason from the days leading up to the "decision" to the "decision" itself. Then the after math of the "decision" with the championship like celebration guaranteeing seven championships. To this finals were all the attention seems to be on him regardless of what he does or the Heat does.

Meanwhile in Nowitzki you have a guy who is tall and white. A guy who isn't from this country yet most americans can relate to him more than James. A guy who isn't as physically gifted as James but is the deadliest shooter in the league and lives on the free throw line now. Nowitzki like James has had his fair share of struggles in the postseason. That is the only similarity between the two players. Most probably didn't notice that Nowitzki was a free agent last offseason. Most didn't notice because A) we assumed he would resign in Dallas because he is loyal and B) he didn't hype himself up. Instead Nowitzki has hid under the radar all season long and then started to take down team after team. First it was the Blazers who were going to upset them while Nowitzki averaged 27.3 PPG as they eliminated the Blazers in six games. Next up was the two-time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers and Nowitzki averaged 25.3 PPG as they swept the Lakers. Then it was Oklahoma City Zombies who had the best young scorer in the NBA in Kevin Durant and Nowitzki simply averaged 32.2 PPG. Now against the "super" team Nowitzki through five games is averaging 27.0 PPG and averaging 10.4 PPG in the fourth. Nowitzki isn't "flashy" but he just does what an athlete should do which is shut his mouth and just get the job done.

- This NBA finals was supposed to be Lebron James redemption. Nothing cures stupidity like winning. James had own the Eastern Conference on his way to the NBA finals. With the way James was playing he was going to win the Finals MVP in five or six games and all that "decision" crap would seem like a distant memory. Instead James is adding more gasoline to a never ending fire.

James in these finals is putting up decent numbers all around. He's averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 7.0 APG. To the naked eye you'd say he's having a good series. The problem is that is a good series if he was Chris Bosh or a player on that level. For the best player in basketball his scoring should be increased by at least eight points which in this series is the difference of throwing a parade already and being down 3-2. James has really struggled from three point range as well. In game one he made 4-5(80.0%) from three point range. Since game one though he has shot just 3-18(16.6%). Another alarming stat is that against the Eastern Conference James averaged 9.1 free throw attempts a game while in the NBA finals he is averaging just 3.3 free throw attempts a game. Considering he's a 77.6% free throw shooter he's costing himself on average 4.5 PPG. Now by just getting to the foul line more he would be averaging 21.7 PPG which given his other numbers could be finals MVP worthy. Now in these playoffs he is shooting 35.0% from three point range. If he had made just 35% of three pointers instead of 3-18 that is another nine points over four games which is 2.2 points a game. Now he's averaging 23.9 PPG which doesn't sound that hard if he was playing like his normal self.

Now his fourth quarter troubles have been terrible. He has scored just 11 points(2.2 PPG) in the fourth quarter this series. In the last four games he's averaging 1.5 PPG which the Heat are 1-3 during that stretch. So if James just goes to the foul line like his usual self and makes his average amount of three pointers that is an extra 6.7 PPG which is huge in this series. James made a circus of this past season now he has just two games to avoid being the butt of every joke for an entire offseason. One thing for people to laugh at you about your "decision" that he can justify. Another thing though to be laughed at because he failed on the biggest stage. One more loss and James will have that label that haunted Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Tony Romo and even Peyton Manning as anti-clutch.

Overall, the biggest winner in these NBA Finals is David Stern as I'm sure the ratings were high for this game five. The game six ratings will most likely be the best the NBA has seen since the early Michael Jordan days. If there is a game seven that could be the highest rated game since the Lakers-Celtics of the 1980's. The Mavericks are a veteran team and not like Miami is such a hostile crowd you can't win there. The Mavericks have what it takes to take care of business and clinch on the road. Just remember the 2-3-2 format is designed for the lower seed to be up 3-2 in the series. When the lower seed is up 3-2 heading into game six on the road in this 2-3-2 format in 1985 they are only 4-3(.571). When said lower seed won the game five to put them ahead 3-2 going on the road they are just 2-3(.400). Just ask the Boston Celtics last year how difficult it is to get that final victory on the road. This series as been great as there has yet to be a blowout. The Dallas Mavericks who are now America's team are just one victory away from the title. The Miami Heat are hoping that homecourt advantage can get Lebron james out of his funk. Should be a highly anticipated game six this Sunday.

Dallas Mavericks use late fourth quarter run to even series with 86-83 win over Heat

By Kshell

The Dallas Mavericks who were led by Dirk Nowitzki scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter rallied from nine points down to defeat the Miami Heat 86-83 to win game four of the NBA Finals. Now that the series is tied at two games it becomes a best of three series. For the Mavericks they played team ball as five different guys scored in double figures led by Nowitzki who scored 21 points despite having the flu. For the Heat despite Dwyane Wade scoring 32 points suffered the loss due to Lebron James scoring just eight points including zero in the fourth quarter. The Heat obviously need James to step up his game to win the NBA championship. The Mavericks won despite shooting 0-13 in the second half from three pointers. The Mavericks showed that they aren't the Mavericks from the past as they are tougher now. Take Nowitzki for an example who had just 11 points after three quarters and playing through the flu. Nowitzki who didn't bail on his team like James did instead he would end up rising to the occasion in the fourth quarter. Now the series is tied at two games with the all important game five being played on Thursday in Dallas which will be the final game for the Mavericks in front of their home fans.

The first quarter was a strange quarter as the Heat shot terrible but survived by rebounding the ball. The Mavericks came out hitting their shots led by Jason Terry. The Mavericks led by Nowitzki started the game off leading 6-0 but the Heat responded with a 6-0 run of their own led by Chris Bosh. The score at the end of the quarter was 21-21. For the Mavericks who shot 8-16(50.0%) from the field were led by Jason Terry who scored seven points on two for two shooting including a three pointer. Nowitzki scored six points on three for five shooting. For the Heat who shot just 7-24(29.1%) from the field were led by Dwyane Wade scoring six points on two for six shooting, Bosh six points on three for seven shooting. Lebron James scored four points on one for three shooting. The Heat outrebounded the Mavericks 16-10 led by center Joel Anthony who had six rebounds for the Heat.

In the second quarter the Heat outscored the Mavericks 26-24 to take a 47-45 lead at halftime. The Heat shot terrific in the quarter making 12-18(66.7%) of their shots led by Chris Bosh who scored 10 points on five for five shooting in the second quarter. Wade scored seven points on three for four shooting in the quarter as well. The Heat at halftime were led by Bosh who had 16 points on 8-12 shooting. Wade had 10 points on 5-10 shooting from the field as well. Joel Anthony gave the Heat a spark scoring four points and grabbing eight rebounds. Lebron James had just four points on one for four shooting at halftime. The Mavericks were saved in the second quarter by DeShawn Stevenson scoring 11 points and making all three of his three point attempts. The Mavericks were led by Stevenson's 11 points, while Terry also scored nine points off the bench. The Mavericks star player Nowitzki was just one for five shooting in the second quarter and had just eight points on 4-10 shooting. It was a great back and forth half which saw both teams best player struggle. One team would have their star player step up while the other star never did show up.

In the third quarter the Heat would increase their lead led by Wade. Wade scored 12 points in the third quarter on five for five shooting. Bosh would add six points in the quarter while James would score his final four points of the game in the fourth quarter. The Heat were trailing 65-61 but ended the quarter on an 8-0 run to take the 69-65 lead heading into the fourth quarter. To that point Wade had 25 points on 10-15 shooting, Bosh had 22 points on 9-17 shooting. James had just eight points on 3-10 shooting but did have seven rebounds and six assists. James also had an incredible alley-oop pass to Wade to take the lead 67-65. For the Mavericks Shawn Marion scored eight points in the third quarter to have 16 points. Tyson Chandler also added 10 points and 10 rebounds while Nowitzki continued to struggle scoring just 11 points on 4-13 shooting. Both teams couldn't buy a three pointer as the Heat missed all five attempts while the Mavericks missed all seven. Nowitzki had eight straight playoff games where he scored seven points or more in the fourth quarter. He would add to that streak once again.

In the fourth quarter the Heat would continue that run that ended the third quarter. The Heat would finish the 13-1 run on a Udonis Haslem jumper to take a 74-65 lead in the fourth quarter. That is when the Heat went ice cold and in particular Lebron James was being passive. The Mavericks knowing their season was on the line once again would ride on Nowitzki once again who scored 10 points in the fourth. The Mavericks defense didn't allow the Heat to score for over six minutes and went on a 17-4 run to take an 82-78 lead over the Heat. Then with under a minute to go the Mavericks who led 82-80 missed several open shots and finally James got the rebound threw a full court pass to Wade who was fouled. Wade made the first free throw but missed the second one with 30 seconds to go. Mavericks went to Nowitzki again to give them an 84-81 lead. After a Wade dunk it came down to Jason Terry who had a solid fourth quarter to make both free throws. Terry did just that giving the Mavericks an 86-83 lead which gave the Heat one final possession. Wade would drop the inbound pass and saved the ball kicked it to Mike Miller who had to take a deep three pointer and missed it. The Mavericks had tied the series up 2-2 while Lebron James had taken just one field goal in the fourth quarter.

For the Mavericks they played team ball today seeing five guys score in double figures. They were led by Nowitzki who finished with 21 points on 6-19 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. Jason Terry was big scoring 17 points on 6-15 shooting including a three pointer. Shawn Marion added 16 points on 7-12 shooting while Tyson Chandler recorded the double-double scoring 13 points with 16 rebounds including nine offensive rebounds. DeShawn Stevenon who came off the bench for the first time in these playoffs scored 11 points hitting three three pointers. The man he was benched for J.J. Barea scored eight points. The Mavericks won a game where they shot horrible from three point range making just 4-19(21.1%). The Mavericks proved they can win defensive battles where they only score 86 points. The Heat dictated the pace and the Mavericks responded with the win outscoring the Heat 21-14 in the fourth quarter. Holding the Heat to 5-15(33.3%) shooting from the field in the fourth. Now the Mavericks hope to win game five in their final home game of the season to take a 3-2 lead back to Miami.

For the Miami Heat this is the second game this series alone where they lost a decent sized lead in the fourth quarter. The Heat have to wonder how they go themselves in this hole where the series is tied at two games. The Heat who have yet to lose two games in a single series will find out what they are made of on Thursday in game five. The Heat were led by Wade who scored 32 points on 13-20 shooting from the field and grabbed six rebounds. They also received the best finals game to date by Bosh who scored 24 points on 9-19 shooting while pulling down six rebounds. Those were the only guys who scored in double figures. They received good production from Anthony who scored four points and eight rebounds including five offensive. The big missing piece was James who scored just eight points on 3-11 shooting but did have nine rebounds and seven assists. Still the Heat aren't paying James to be a good solid all around player. They are expecting him to be a great player who is the best player in basketball. Now the Heat have to wonder how they got themselves in this mess and only have 48 hours to figure it out.

All in all, the NBA got exactly what they wanted which was a long NBA Finals. The Finals will be heading back to South Beach where a champion will be crowned. The Heat have controlled this series in the first four games yet the series is tied at two games. The Mavericks have their closer and there is no confusion where Nowitzki goes they go. While the Heat the confusion has been where has Lebron James gone? In the fourth quarter in the last three games he has just four points total. Wade is carrying this team yet it doesn't seem to be enough as James and the rest of the role players aren't pulling their weight. The Mavericks just like in 2006 find themselves just two wins away from the franchises first ever NBA championship. Nowitzki is proving to everyone that is the best closer in the NBA right now today. Now for the Heat if only Lebron James can prove he is the best basketball player in the NBA right now today. This has been a great series and we are guaranteed two more games which should be fun.

Observations:

- The Mavericks are doing their best to make me eat my words. I've often stated that having the best players will win you a title vs the best all around team. Well the Mavericks after being embarassed in game one have won the bench battle. Today the Mavericks bench outscored the Heat bench 26-15. The surprising part was who carried the bench in the first half.

DeShawn Stevenson normally a starter came off the bench so the Mavericks could get J.J. Barea going. For both guys they played their best game of the series making Rick Carisle look like a genius. Stevenson scored 11 points on three three's while Barea scored eight points. Jason Terry scored 17 points including eight in the fourth quarter. Terry in the Mavericks two victories is averaging 8.0 PPG in the fourth, in their two losses is averaging zero points.

- Lebron James is adding fuel to his "haters" these finals. James who was having an average Finals really shit the bed tonight. He scored just eight points and attempted just one shot(which he missed) in the fourth quarter. The Heat didn't score for a six minute stretch while their nine point lead slipped away. Just like in game two they needed someone to step up and win this important game. Instead during that six minute stretch James continued to pass, pass and pass some more. A superstar in that situation needs to step up and put that game away. By winning game four that would basically clinch the NBA Finals as no road team has ever won a game six and seven in the NBA Finals.

James in the last three fourth quarters has just four points total. I know he is playing good all around but he isn't Jason Kidd. He is a superstar who needs to be scoring at the very worst 20 points for his team. James scoring total has decreased each game going from 24 points, to 20 points to 17 points now to 8 points. James in the Finals is averaging just 17.3 PPG on 26-56(46.4%) which isn't bad but only attempted 14 field goals a game is. He is shooting horrible from three point range making just 3-14(21.4%) after game one where he hit 4-5(80.0%). Now like Chris Bosh in the first two games James isn't this bad. For the Heat to win the title they need Lebron to step up. At this point James proved today he can never be Michael Jordan but I'm sure he can care less. The Heat and James need to step up or their season could end in disappointment.

- Dwyane Wade loves the NBA Finals or does he love playing the Dallas Mavericks? It is hard to tell but Wade is having another great NBA Finals against the Mavericks. Wade had his second 30+ point game in these finals which were both losses. Wade finished with 32 points on 13-20(65.0%) shooting from the field. Wade after having a terrible series against the Bulls is reminding everyone that he is probably the third best player in the NBA.

If the Heat win the Finals unless Lebron James scores like 50 points two games in a row Wade would win his second NBA Finals MVP. Wade for the series is averaging 29.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. He is shooting 47-80(58.8%) from the field and is averaging 20 field goal attempts a game. Wade is playing terrific but now needs James to bring his "A" game as well. Wade and James both haven't played a great game in the same game since the Boston series. If Bosh plays like he did the last two games they'll take that. It's now on James to rise to Wade's level in these finals.

- Dirk Nowitzki statistically didn't play a great game. Yet this could have been his defining game of his career. He had the flu and played poorly first three quarters. Yet he battled and once again saved the Mavericks in the fourth scoring 10 points. Nowitzki finished with a double-double for the third straight game. Nowitzki unlike in years past doesn't rely on the three point shot. Nowitzki like he did in the first round against the Portland Trail Blazers and continued throughout the playoffs showing everyone he is best closer in the NBA.

For the series which if the Mavericks win Nowitzki would obviously win the MVP. Nowitzki is averaging 26.5 PPG and 10.3 RPG while shooting 34-80(42.5%) from the field. He has made 33-34(97.0%) from the free throw line this series as well. He is also averaging 11.0 PPG in the fourth quarter compared to Lebron James who has just nine points total in the fourth quarter. Nowitzki is putting this franchise on his back and trying to win the Mavericks their first title ever. Regardless of the game Nowitzki is having the Mavericks know he'll show up in the fourth quarter which the Heat can't say about their best player Lebron James.

In conclusion, we have a terrific NBA Finals in the making. With the series tied at two games I'm sure the ratings for game five will be pretty high. Now the Mavericks still have all the pressure in game five as no team has ever won game six and seven on the road. In fact in the 2-3-2 format only the 2005 Detroit Pistons have avoided elimination in a game six on the road but ultimately lost the game seven. Since the 2-3-2 format started in 1985 the winner of game five in a 2-2 series is 6-3(.667) in the series. Last year though the Boston Celtics won the game five while the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Finals. For the Mavericks they have to be feeling pretty good to be tied at two games considering they have yet to really lead in the second half. For the same reason the Miami Heat have to be kicking themselves as they've blown a 15 point lead in game two and now a nine point lead today in game four. The Mavericks do know that in a big game they can count on Nowitzki. While the Heat there is some doubt after today that you can count on Lebron James. It's a best of three series now which will come down to which superstar will show up. The Mavericks know they have their guy but do the Heat? I guess we'll find that out on Thursday.

Wade leads Heat in critical game three win 88-86 over Mavs to take 2-1 series lead

By Kshell

The Miami Heat survived two separate rally's by the Dallas Mavericks to win the critical game three to regain the series lead 2-1. The Heat won the game 88-86 behind the game winning shot by Chris Bosh who has struggled this entire series. The Mavericks had the ball last with 4.4 seconds left and unlike game two Udonis Haslem defended Dirk Nowitzki forcing Nowiztki to miss a tough jump shot. This was a huge game as the winner of game three in a 1-1 series is 11-0 since the NBA Finals shift to a 2-3-2 format in 1985. The Heat were able to win this game because of Dwyane Wade who scored 29 points including seven in the fourth quarter and pulled down 11 rebounds. For the Mavericks they were led by Nowitzki who scored 34 points including 15 in the fourth quarter and he too pulled down 11 rebounds. The Heat got off to a great start then survived several rallies by the Mavericks to hang on for this win. This win is huge for the Heat as it guarantees them at the very worst a trip back to South Beach.

In the first quarter the Heat came out agressive and were attacking the rim. Unlike the previous two games Lebron James and Dwyane Wade didn't attempt a single three pointer. Then at the end of the first quarter the Heat led 24-22, James got fouled made both free throw's to give the Heat a 26-22 lead. The Mavericks turned the ball over which allowed the Heat to get a final shot off. The play was supposed to go to James but he was covered well so Haslem passed to Mario Chalmers who sank the mid court three pointer to give the Heat a 29-22 lead. The Heat shot well making 12-23(52.2%) from the field while making two of four three pointers. The Heat were led by Wade who scored eight points on four for eight shooting, James who had eight points on three for four shooting and Bosh who had five points on two for four shooting. The Mavericks shot 8-16(50.0%) and made two of four from three pointers. The Mavericks were led by Jason Kidd who had five points and three assists. Nowitzki was held to just two points on one for two shooting. The Mavericks would survive the following quarter due to Nowitzki coming alive.

In the second quarter the Heat extended their lead from 29-22 to 45-31 as they were led by Dwyane Wade again. Then the Mavericks caught fire and ended the half on an 11-2 run to pull within 47-42 at halftime. For the Heat Wade scored 11 of the teams 18 points and made four of the teams five field goals. The Heat shot 5-18(27.7%) from the field that quarter and take away Wade shooting four of five the rest of the team was 1-13. For the Mavericks they were led by Nowitzki scoring eight points and blocking three shots. The Heat let go of a chance to put the Mavericks away and there was another great finish coming. The Heat were led by Wade who had 19 points on 8-13 shooting including a three pointer and had six rebounds. James scored 10 points on three for six shooting and was perfect on four free throws. While Bosh continued to struggle scoring seven points on two for nine shooting. For the Mavericks Nowitzki had 10 points on four for eight shooting including a three pointer. Nowitzki also had five rebounds and three blocks. Jason Terry also scored 10 points on three for six shooting, Shawn Marion added eight points on three for seven shooting. While Kidd had six points, five assists and four rebounds. The Mavericks in the third would survive another big deficit.

The Heat would open up the third quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 55-42. Just like the entire postseason the Mavericks wouldn't go away that easily. The Mavericks would go on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 55-51. The run continued as the Mavericks even took a 59-58 lead as their run extended to 17-3. The Heat would immediately respond as James hit a three pointer then Chalmers drilled a three pointer to give the Heat a 64-59 lead. The quarter would end with the Heat leading 67-64. The Mavericks had outscored the Heat in the third 22-20. The Heat shot 8-21(38.0%) from the field but did make two critical three pointers. The Mavericks shot 7-16(43.7%) from the field including three three pointers. The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki who scored nine of his 19 points in the third quarter. While Terry scored five of his 15 points. For the Heat Wade continued to have a great game scoring 22 points on 9-16 shooting while James scored 15 points on 5-11 shooting with five assists. Bosh continued his struggles with 11 points on 4-13 shooting. The fourth quarter was another great finish like game two and an unlikely guy hit the winning shot.

The fourth quarter was a great battle between Wade and Nowitzki. Wade scored at one point seven straight points for Heat while Nowitzki scored 15 of the Mavericks 22 points in the fourth. The Heat also had seven points from Bosh and another huge three pointer by Chalmers. With the score tied at 86 with less than a minute to go James was facing a double team he passed to Bosh. Bosh who had been passing up open shots this time drilled the go ahead shot and by far the biggest shot of his life. The Mavericks then turned the ball over but James missed a three pointer with 4.4 seconds left. Everyone knew who was going to shoot the final shot and unlike game two Haslem was on Nowitzki. Haslem forced Nowitzki to take a fall away jumper that missed. It was a shot Nowitzki has hit several times but this time he missed it. The Heat pulled off the road win that they needed and will now look to control the series with another win in Dallas.

For the Heat this was a huge win to get after the collapse in game two. The Heat were led by Wade who scored 29 points on 12-21 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. Bosh rebounded from a poor first two games to score 18 points on 7-18 shooting including the game winning shot. James scored 17 points on 6-14 shooting and dished out nine assists. While Chalmers off the bench scored 12 points on four for six shooting from three point range. For the Mavericks they lost homecourt advantage and now must win at least one more game in Miami to win the championship. Nowitzki led all scorers with 34 points on 11-21 shooting including three three pointers and grabbed 11 rebounds. Terry had 15 points on 5-13 shooting while Marion added just 10 points on 4-12 shooting. Jason Kidd had a good all around game scoring nine points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing six rebounds. The Mavericks didn't give Nowitzki much help while Wade received some help from his other two stars.

All in all, the winner of game three in a 1-1 series in the NBA Finals is a perfect 11 for 11 on winning the title. This was a huge game for both teams and came down to the final possession. This series is far from over but the Heat have a chance to control the series in game four where they are 2-0 these playoffs when leading 2-1. The Mavericks now have comfort knowing the next two games are still at home in Dallas and if not for a half court three pointer by Chalmers they win this game. The Heat easily could be up 3-0 or down 2-1 that is how close these NBA playoffs have been. The big advantage the Heat have going for them is Wade is playing like he did during the 2006 NBA finals. While the Mavericks can't count on only Nowitzki to bail them out. This was a great finish while the Heat snatched back homecourt with a huge win. This was a win the Heat desperately needed after the game two collapse. This was a win that a world championship team would win.

Observations:

- Chris Bosh played a slightly better game but still is passing too much in the fourth quarter. The Heat are hoping that game winning shot for Bosh is the start for him to playing well. Bosh did score seven of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

Bosh shot 7-18(38.9%) from the field which is better than he has shot so far but still below what he is capable of. Bosh had 18 points but just three rebounds. Bosh was terrific last series and the Heat are 2-1 despite him playing poorly through three games. If Bosh can play the game he is capable of the Heat can really put the pressure on the Mavericks.

- Dirk Nowitzki played a great game for the Mavericks in game three. Nowitzki scored 34 points which he scored 32 after the first quarter. Nowitzki finished shooting 11-21(52.3%) from the field, 3-5(60.0%) from three pointers, 9-9(100.0%) from free throws. He pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked three shots. In the first two games he hadn't really played well besides the fourth quarter in game two.

In this game Nowitzki was the best player on the court and scored 24 points in the second half including 15 points in the fourth quarter. He is destroying Bosh in the power forward matchup. Now Nowitzki must rally his team yet again as they trail 2-1 for the first time all playoff series. The Mavericks are 3-1 this postseason after a loss so we'll see how they respond after this tough loss. Nowitzki will have to continue to play great for the Mavericks to have a chance to win the championship.

- Dwyane Wade loves the NBA Finals and he especially loves the Dallas Mavericks. Wade had another monster game for the Heat scoring 29 points on 12-21(57.1%) shooting from the field while grabbing 11 rebounds. Wade like he was in game one was huge in the fourth quarter scoring seven points. Wade is the early favorite if the Heat win the Finals to win his second Finals MVP.

In these Finals Wade is averaging 29.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 5.0 APG. Wade is shooting 34-60(56.7%) from the field and 6-15(40.0%) from three pointers. Wade is also averaging 7.7 PPG in the fourth quarter as well. Wade is carrying his team and has the Heat just two wins away from their second championship in franchise history. Bosh and James have disappeared the last two games but Wade is playing like he did in the 2006 NBA Finals. If Wade were to win his second NBA Finals curious where he lands on this all-time NBA top 10 list. For now Wade and the Heat need just two more wins and they know they are at the very worst coming back home.

In conclusion, the Miami Heat like they have this whole postseason won the critical swing game in the series. The Heat are now 4-0 in the postseason following a loss. The Heat sustained two separate big runs by the Mavericks to pull off the narrow two point victory. Now the Mavericks know realistictly they have to win game four at home as beating the Heat three times in a row which would include two in Miami seems impossible. I actually expect game four to be an even better game than game two and three as both teams know just how important that game four is. For the Heat if they win game four they basically wrap up the championship. For the Mavericks a win turns this into a best of three series. This has been a great finals watching Nowitzki try and carry the Mavericks while Wade responds every time down. Now the Heat lead this Finals 2-1 but this Finals is far from over. Wade will try and do his best this Tuesday to put this series away once and for all.

Mavericks overcome 15 point deficit to stun Heat 95-93 in game two to even series 1-1

By Kshell

The Dallas Mavericks stunned the basketball world with their late game comeback to even the series. The Mavericks who trailed 88-73 with six minutes to go came back to win 95-93 as Dirk Nowitzki scored the final five points including the game winner. For the Heat this was their first postseason home loss despite 36 points from Dwyane Wade in game two. The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki who scored 24 points including nine in the fourth quarter. Now the series shifts to Dallas for the next three games as the series is tied at one game. For the Mavericks this was a huge win as only two teams in the last 41 years has came back from an 0-2 deficit. The two areas which the Heat beat the Mavericks in game one didn't happen in game two as the Mavericks outrebounded the Heat 41-30 and their bench outscored the Heat bench 23-11. Whenever a big comeback takes place it begs the question did the Mavericks come back or did the Heat simply collapse? I think it's a mixture of both but it doesn't matter now as the series is tied at one game a piece. These teams had a little bit more offense to start the game then it turned back into a defensive grind.

The first quarter featured a ton of scoring for both teams unlike in game one where they combined to score just 33 points. In this back and forth first quarter both teams were tied at 28-28. The Mavericks were led by Shawn Marion and DeShawn Stevenson who both scored six points and Dirk Nowitzki who scored four points. The Mavericks shot 10-19(52.6%) from the field and made three of four three pointers. For the Heat they were led by Dwyane Wade and Lebron James both scoring eight points. Plus an unexpected six points from Mike Bibby who had hit two three pointers. The Heat had shot 12-20(60.0%) from the field and four of eight from three pointers. The high scoring first quarter had fans hoping for a high scoring game but the second quarter went back to low scoring.

In the second quarter saw a tale of two different quarters for both teams. In the first half of the second quarter the Mavericks had shot 13 free throws to the Heat having just two attempts. The Mavericks also had a 51-42 lead with Lebron James going to bench after picking up his third foul. That is when Wade took over as the Heat then shot nine straight free throws and the Heat went on a 9-0 run to tied it at 51-51. Both teams only scored 23 points in the quarter. For the Mavericks they were led by Marion who scored 10 points on four of five shooting. Then got nine points from Tyson Chandler on three for four shooting, nine points from Stevenson on three for five shooting hitting three three pointers, and Nowitzki scored nine points on 3-10 shooting. For the Heat they were led by Wade who scored 21 points including 13 in the quarter. Wade scored 21 on 9-13 shooting while hitting a three pointer. Then James scored 12 points on five for seven shooting including two three pointers he also grabbed five rebounds. Mike Bibby had six points on two three pointers and Chris Bosh had six points. Bosh shot just two for eight though. In the second half twice the Heat appeared to pull away but the Mavericks didn't quit.

In the third quarter the Heat would sprint out to a 71-61 lead but let the Mavericks off the hook. The Mavericks closed the quarter on a run pulling to within four points. The Heat had outscored the Mavericks 24-20 to lead 75-71 but the Mavericks had survived the first of two big Heat runs. The Heat were led by Mike Bibby scoring eight of his 14 points including two three pointers. The Heat also were led by Wade who had 27 points on 11-15 shooting with six assists through three quarters. James addded 18 points on 8-11 shooting but picked up his fourth foul. Bosh continued to struggle as he was just 3-14 with 10 points with seven rebounds. For the Mavericks Marion kept them in with with six of his 16 points in the third quarter. Nowitzki was still slow scoring just 15 points on 6-15 shooting. Chandler was huge scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds. Which set up a fourth quarter for the ages. A quarter that I'll divide into two separate paragraphs since it was two separate quarters.

The fourth quarter began and saw both teams go on large runs. The Mavericks scored a bucket to make it 75-73 that is when the Heat went on a 13-0 run to lead 88-73. During the run Mavericks head coach Rick Carisle went with a small lineup which saw them have Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, J.J. Barrea, Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki. The Heat exploited those matchups and capped the run with a Dwyane Wade three pointer to give the Heat a commanding 88-73 lead with about six minutes left in the game. It was looking like the Heat were finally going to have a blowout victory for once. On the facebook newsfeed, twitter, ect people were already chalking this game up to the Heat. Who could blame them? Wade was playing terrific and Nowitzki was nowhere to be found. The crowd had erupted but then the Mavericks put Chandler back in. The difference between this fourth quarter unlike previous fourth quarters was Erik Spoelstra decided to go with Mario Chalmers instead of Mike Miller. With Miller out there the Heat have a big lineup which make Jason Terry a liability instead of a strength. The game then changed.

The Mavericks responded to the Heat 13-0 run with a large run of their own. I'll break the run down separately as the Mavericks went on an 8-0 run to pull within 88-81. After James made both free throws which were his only fourth quarter points by the way to give the Heat a 90-81 lead the Mavericks responded. Kidd hit a three pointer to pull within 90-84. The Mavericks would then tie the game at 90-90 as the Heat kept settling for one longer jumper after long jumper. Lebron James was 0-4 in the fourth quarter and even though Wade was the hot hand he shot two for five in the fourth. The Heat again settled for a Wade three who missed the shot with under 40 seconds left. The Mavericks had great ball rotation and swung it out to Nowitzki who capped the 20-2 run with a three pointer to give the Mavericks a stunning 93-90 lead. The Heat weren't dead yet though despite making just one of nine three point attempts bench player Mario Chalmers hit a three pointer in the corner to tie the game up at 93-93 with 24 seconds left. The problem is there was 24 seconds left and after Kidd wind the clock down he gave it to Nowitzki who was guarded by Bosh not James. Nowitzki blew by Bosh for the left handed lay up with three seconds left. The Heat had no timeouts inbounded to James who then passed to Wade who missed a half court three pointer. The Mavericks finished the game on a 22-5 run to stun the Heat 95-93. For the Mavericks they shot 10-21(47.6%) from the field while the Heat shot just 5-18(27.7%) including 2-11(18.2%) from three pointers.

This was a huge win for the Mavericks for many reasons. The most important reason is the series is tied at one game a piece. Another reason is only two teams since 1970 have overcome a 2-0 series deficit. The last reason is the Mavericks needed to beat the Heat in the Finals after the 2006 collapse where they were one of the two teams to blow a 2-0 series lead. The Mavericks were led by their leader Nowitzki who hit the game winner, scored nine point in the fourth and finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Nowitzki ended up shooting 10-22 and hit the two most important buckets of his life to date. The Mavericks also got plenty of contributions from Shawn Marion who scored 20 points on 9-14 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds. Jason Terry came alive scoring 16 points on 5-11 shooting while Chandler scored 13 points and seven rebounds. The Mavericks outrebounded the Heat 41-30 and their benched outscored the Heat's bench 23-11. The Mavericks will enjoy their flight home while the Heat will have a long flight to Dallas now.

For the Heat this was easily their worst loss of the season. So far these playoffs they haven't really had to face any adversity. They were blown out in game one at Chicago but they have yet to blow a close game let alone lose a game at home. The Heat scored just five minutes in the final seven minutes of the game. The Heat wasted a 36 point effort by Dwyane Wade who was 13-20(65.0%) from the field including two three pointers. Wade also had six assists, five rebounds, three steals and two block shots looking like the Wade of 2006 NBA Finals. Lebron James wasn't his usual best player on the court self. James was limited to just 20 points on 8-15 shooting and made just two of seven three pointers and had five turnovers. James did have eight rebounds but didn't hit a single field goal in the fourth quarter. The Heat had a surprising game from Mike Bibby who had 14 points on five for eight shooting and four of seven from three point land. For the second straight game Chris Bosh was terrible scoring just 10 points on 4-16 shooting and was burned on the final play of the game by Nowitzki. Now the Heat must win in Dallas to return back to Miami. History shows this series is going back to Miami. Since the NBA has gone to the 2-3-2 format in 1985 only the 2004 Detroit Pistons swept the middle three games at home. While the 1990 Detroit Pistons, 1991 Chicago Bulls and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers swept the middle three on the road.

All in all, the series is going back to Dallas tied up at one game a piece. For the first time all playoffs we could actually have a meaningful series. For as great as these playoffs have been there hasn't been much drama in this series. This past conference finals was the first time since 1986 both series ended in five games or less. For the Mavericks they have to be feeling good as their shooters like Nowitzki and Terry finally came through for them. They beat the Heat in Miami with Wade going off and Bibby contributing. For the Heat they have to hope Bosh snaps out of his funk. They also know they had a chance to to put a strangle hold on the series and hope they don't suffer the same fate the 2006 Mavericks did who blew a 13 point lead in game three at Miami. We have a series now and the city who has hosted an NBA All-Star game, MLB World Series, Super Bowl will now host an NBA Finals. Pretty crazy how one city has hosted all of that in the past 18 months. This Finals has just begun and this series will be a fun one for sure.

Observations:

- The Mavericks were simply tougher than the Heat from start to finish. That was led by Tyson Chandler who had 13 points and seven rebounds including four offensive. Dirk Nowitzki also grabbed 11 rebounds and the Mavericks after being destroyed on the glass last game destroyed the Heat this time.

The Mavericks also won like many who thought they would win by playing team ball. The Mavericks had eight guys score to the Heat have just six guys. The Mavericks bench outscored the Heat's bench 23-11 which is pretty big considering they won by just two points. The Mavericks unlike 2006 with Chandler are a tough physical team. Chandler has also been getting the best of Chris Bosh as well. Bosh is going to have a long series going against Chandler.

- Chris Bosh has had a huge step back in the first two games after a huge step forward in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the last six quarters Bosh is shooting 5-25(20.0%) from the field. Overall for the series Bosh is shooting 9-34(26.4%) from the field and is averaging 15.5 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game. Bosh is an all-star and now isn't the time for him to disappear like Pau Gasol did against this team.

If the Heat win this series Bosh obviously has to step up. I don't think Bosh will go off like he did against the Chicago Bulls because Carlos Boozer is that bad. I do think he will shoot better than 26.4% from the field though. Bosh I noticed two games in a row with guys like Jason Terry and Jason Kidd guarding him he is passing the ball in the fourth quarter. He is afraid to take that big shot and has lost his confidence. Too many times Bosh, Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers would pass the ball to Wade or James with five on the shot clock to take a long low percentage jumper. Bosh wanted to be part of the big three well now he needs to start playing like he belongs there.

- Dwyane Wade is showing that he isn't injured after slumping against the Chicago Bulls. The Mavericks have nobody who can defend him and he is going off on them again like in 2006. In the last six quarters for Wade he is shooting 19-29(65.5%) and for the series he is 22-39(56.4%) from the field. He has made 4-11(36.4%) from three point range but just 10-17(58.8%) from the free throw line.

Wade is so far having a great series averaging 29.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. Wade is playing like he did in the 2006 NBA Finals but when Bosh struggles the way he does that kind of negates Wade's play. Lebron James was great in game one and in game two struggled especially in the fourth quarter. Wade and James on those two big runs were running and gunning. Had the Heat featured Wade more in the fourth quarter maybe they are up 2-0. Good news for Heat fans is if Wade is playing well just a matter of time before James erupts for a big game. Also just a matter of time before Bosh plays like an all-star.

- Dirk Nowitzki who had played pretty average the first seven quarters of these NBA Finals finally took over in the fourth. Nowitzki scored nine points in the fourth on four for seven shooting after shooting 13-33(39.3%) from the field in the first seven quarters. Nowitzki simply took over and at the end of the game hit the big three pointer to cap the 20-2 run. Then after it appeared Miami would pull off the win Nowitzki hit the game winner with his bad hand blowing by the younger Bosh. Nowitzki took a ton of the blame for the 2006 collapse and he is trying to seek revenge these playoffs.

Most of America is pulling for Nowitzki because although he is German represents what is right with sports. He is the anti Lebron James. Nowitzki was a free agent last summer too and he could have bailed since his team was old. His team had lost three of the last four first round series but he decided to stay loyal to his city and fan base. Nowitzki decided he doesn't need to team up with any other superstars. Nowitzki is painting quite the legacy and now he is three wins away from entering the discussion amongst the games greatest players ever.

In conclusion, the Mavericks made this a series now. The city of Dallas who will be hosting their third major sports championship series in eight months will be an electric crowd on Sunday. The Heat just like the Mavericks tied for the leagues best road record in the regular season. In the regular season both teams were 28-13 on the road so the Heat have won on the road and will have to do so once again to return home. The Mavericks are hoping this fourth quarter is just a start for them to start shooting better. For the Heat they are hoping they play like they did in the first half of the fourth quarter. This is a series which the NBA has wanted now who will win three of the next five games? Three of the next five games will be played in Dallas where the Mavericks are 7-1 in the playoffs. The Heat are hoping Chris Bosh can bounce back while the Mavericks hope this is just a start for things to come. I can't wait until Sunday as this series is now tied at one game.