The Holy One
What's really good?
Well it's finally here after one of the most exciting years in the NBA, the end has arrived.
GAME 3
Probably the most hated franchise in NBA history:
One of the best teams in the past decade yet to win a title:
Once again, the problems of closing out games crept up on the Miami Heat. After taking a commanding 88-73 lead with 5 minutes left in the 4th. The Heat started to settle on contested jump shots which allowed Dallas to act quickly and efficiently to get easy baskets and the free throw line. D-Wade was the only of the Big Three to show up for the Heat in the game. LeBron and Bosh need to get their act together tonight.
The Dallas Mavericks did it again. It should be noted to never count them out until the clock hits 0:00 in the 4th Quarter. Jason "the Jet" Terry found his shot when it really mattered along with the Matrix, Shawn Marion. That allowed Dirk to be Dirk who's middle finger really didn't seem to affect him as he drove down the lane to put the game away for the Mavs in a 95-93 comeback victory.
Can the Heat bounce back after the shocking defeat?
Will LeBron and Bosh show up?
Can Bibby, Miller, Chalmers, and the rest provide the backup the Big Three so desperately need?
Will Dirk continue to be Dirk! despite the injured finger?
Will Dallas be affected by the loss of Brendan Haywood?
Will the Jet continue to show his wings?
I do believe the winner of this game will win the series.
GAME 3
Probably the most hated franchise in NBA history:
The Miami Heat
The Miami Heat had thrown down their trump card.
Its reliability and value was akin to a royal flush, Swiss gold or a personal check from Warren Buffett. When Dwyane Wade goes off in the playoffs, especially in the Finals, the Heat win. Whether he’s got the better team or not, on those nights, he’s not losing. Book it and move on.
Thursday was one of those nights. Wade’s legs looked October fresh. He was lining up highlights and dunking on everyone in sight. He was draining 3-pointers and posing, the years coming off his face, which was constantly lit with an adrenaline-fueled glow.
Eleven times in Wade’s career, he had scored 35 or more points in a playoff game. Eleven times, the Heat had won. Wade crossed that threshold with a silky corner 3-pointer with seven minutes to go in Game 2 of these Finals, right in front of the Dallas Mavericks' bench. Wade had tallied 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting, 11 of the baskets coming inside 5 feet.
The Heat were up 15 points and looked to (nearly) all the world like they were headed to a 2-0 series lead, as Miami civic planners would quietly start the logistics for a title parade.
Insert needle-coming-off-record sound bite right … here.
In a turn of events that instantly qualified for historic preservation, the Mavs quashed Wade’s infallibility. They finally were able to overcome Wade at the top of his game in a breathtaking 95-93 comeback victory.
Oh, it had to be sweet for the Mavs. After all, they were such a huge part of that record. As Wade made that 3-pointer triggering a desperation timeout, reporters scattered throughout AmericanAirlines Arena. They began noting that Thursday night was the fifth time in Wade’s six career Finals games that he’d topped that significant 35-point barrier. All of these, of course, were against the Mavs.
The Heat didn’t just lose momentum and home-court advantage behind a series of errors combined with Dallas’ orchestration of defense and poise. They also wasted what might have been the one mega-performance Wade was going to deliver in this series. That’s something that could haunt them in a week or so.
“Well, only time will tell,” Wade said afterward when asked whether the Heat might regret how things played out. “We gave them and they gave themselves life.”
Wade had grown frustrated recently with questions about his health and what he had left in the tank. At first he joked about it, saying he wouldn’t admit it if he was hurt. But after a couple of low-energy games in the Eastern Conference finals, the queries were officially on Wade’s nerves.
“I’m not hurt; get that one out of the way,” Wade announced when he sat down in front of the media prior to Game 1 of the Finals, not even waiting for the question.
But equally, Wade said that when he went back and watched a game from his now legendary 2006 performance, he didn’t recognize himself.
“I don’t know who that guy is,” Wade said. “Like another person. I didn’t have a conscience.”
He also had younger joints and muscles. On Thursday, Wade proved he’s still extremely capable of dominating games at the highest level. But this postseason has proved just how precious those games are at this stage of his career.
He had a 38-point game against the Boston Celtics in the second round. Then he shot 41 percent over the next three games. He came back with a 34-point masterpiece in the clincher against Boston. Then he shot 32 percent over the next four games.
As has been said over and over this postseason, not having to rely on Wade as much is why the presence of LeBron James and Chris Bosh makes such a difference for the Heat. But in Game 2, they were the ones responsible for allowing Wade’s performance to suddenly slip to a footnote.
Bosh was 4-of-16 shooting, missing three great looks in the game’s first few minutes. He never recovered the offensive confidence he’d shown over the Heat’s now-defunct five-game winning streak.
James, meanwhile, reverted to another era of his career. After showing such growth during this postseason with his ability to execute under pressure, he picked a bad time to have a hiccup. With Wade exacting so much damage by scoring in transition off miscues -- the Heat set a franchise playoff record with 31 points off turnovers -- James clearly became content to settle for jumpers.
He had made seven of his previous 11 3-pointers coming into the game, and after he nailed another one early, it was his conscience that disappeared. It didn’t help that he kept making long shots he probably had no business making, including several off-balance jumpers at the end of the shot clock that were anything but sensible.
In the fourth quarter when the Heat were in dire trouble, James stopped orchestrating the offense on several possessions. He didn’t run the plays he and Wade had honed for months and made them so difficult to guard under pressure. He didn’t drive, as the Mavs had started to double-team him as he came off screens. James has attempted only six free throws in the two games. The fewest he’d previously had in any two-game stretch in the playoffs was 11.
The performance dangerously resembled some of James’ poor finishes in Cleveland, when he stopped relying on teammates and tried to play a one-on-five game. It rarely worked then, and that old habit came back to bite him and the Heat.
Pile it together with what Dallas was doing offensively, making nine of its last 11 shots, and it helped undo everything Wade had accomplished to put the Heat in such a commanding position.
That’s something the Heat frankly aren’t used to.
“It hurts,” James said. “It’s a ballgame now.”
Its reliability and value was akin to a royal flush, Swiss gold or a personal check from Warren Buffett. When Dwyane Wade goes off in the playoffs, especially in the Finals, the Heat win. Whether he’s got the better team or not, on those nights, he’s not losing. Book it and move on.
Thursday was one of those nights. Wade’s legs looked October fresh. He was lining up highlights and dunking on everyone in sight. He was draining 3-pointers and posing, the years coming off his face, which was constantly lit with an adrenaline-fueled glow.
Eleven times in Wade’s career, he had scored 35 or more points in a playoff game. Eleven times, the Heat had won. Wade crossed that threshold with a silky corner 3-pointer with seven minutes to go in Game 2 of these Finals, right in front of the Dallas Mavericks' bench. Wade had tallied 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting, 11 of the baskets coming inside 5 feet.
The Heat were up 15 points and looked to (nearly) all the world like they were headed to a 2-0 series lead, as Miami civic planners would quietly start the logistics for a title parade.
Insert needle-coming-off-record sound bite right … here.
In a turn of events that instantly qualified for historic preservation, the Mavs quashed Wade’s infallibility. They finally were able to overcome Wade at the top of his game in a breathtaking 95-93 comeback victory.
Oh, it had to be sweet for the Mavs. After all, they were such a huge part of that record. As Wade made that 3-pointer triggering a desperation timeout, reporters scattered throughout AmericanAirlines Arena. They began noting that Thursday night was the fifth time in Wade’s six career Finals games that he’d topped that significant 35-point barrier. All of these, of course, were against the Mavs.
The Heat didn’t just lose momentum and home-court advantage behind a series of errors combined with Dallas’ orchestration of defense and poise. They also wasted what might have been the one mega-performance Wade was going to deliver in this series. That’s something that could haunt them in a week or so.
“Well, only time will tell,” Wade said afterward when asked whether the Heat might regret how things played out. “We gave them and they gave themselves life.”
Wade had grown frustrated recently with questions about his health and what he had left in the tank. At first he joked about it, saying he wouldn’t admit it if he was hurt. But after a couple of low-energy games in the Eastern Conference finals, the queries were officially on Wade’s nerves.
“I’m not hurt; get that one out of the way,” Wade announced when he sat down in front of the media prior to Game 1 of the Finals, not even waiting for the question.
But equally, Wade said that when he went back and watched a game from his now legendary 2006 performance, he didn’t recognize himself.
“I don’t know who that guy is,” Wade said. “Like another person. I didn’t have a conscience.”
He also had younger joints and muscles. On Thursday, Wade proved he’s still extremely capable of dominating games at the highest level. But this postseason has proved just how precious those games are at this stage of his career.
He had a 38-point game against the Boston Celtics in the second round. Then he shot 41 percent over the next three games. He came back with a 34-point masterpiece in the clincher against Boston. Then he shot 32 percent over the next four games.
As has been said over and over this postseason, not having to rely on Wade as much is why the presence of LeBron James and Chris Bosh makes such a difference for the Heat. But in Game 2, they were the ones responsible for allowing Wade’s performance to suddenly slip to a footnote.
Bosh was 4-of-16 shooting, missing three great looks in the game’s first few minutes. He never recovered the offensive confidence he’d shown over the Heat’s now-defunct five-game winning streak.
James, meanwhile, reverted to another era of his career. After showing such growth during this postseason with his ability to execute under pressure, he picked a bad time to have a hiccup. With Wade exacting so much damage by scoring in transition off miscues -- the Heat set a franchise playoff record with 31 points off turnovers -- James clearly became content to settle for jumpers.
He had made seven of his previous 11 3-pointers coming into the game, and after he nailed another one early, it was his conscience that disappeared. It didn’t help that he kept making long shots he probably had no business making, including several off-balance jumpers at the end of the shot clock that were anything but sensible.
In the fourth quarter when the Heat were in dire trouble, James stopped orchestrating the offense on several possessions. He didn’t run the plays he and Wade had honed for months and made them so difficult to guard under pressure. He didn’t drive, as the Mavs had started to double-team him as he came off screens. James has attempted only six free throws in the two games. The fewest he’d previously had in any two-game stretch in the playoffs was 11.
The performance dangerously resembled some of James’ poor finishes in Cleveland, when he stopped relying on teammates and tried to play a one-on-five game. It rarely worked then, and that old habit came back to bite him and the Heat.
Pile it together with what Dallas was doing offensively, making nine of its last 11 shots, and it helped undo everything Wade had accomplished to put the Heat in such a commanding position.
That’s something the Heat frankly aren’t used to.
“It hurts,” James said. “It’s a ballgame now.”
VS
One of the best teams in the past decade yet to win a title:
The Dallas Mavericks
It started with a pose from Dwyane Wade.
"He followed through and left the hand up," Mavericks guard Jason Kidd said of Wade's 3-pointer that gave the Heat an 88-73 lead with 7:14 left. "The big thing was he made the shot and at that point we were down 15. For us, we had nothing to lose. We had to keep playing. Everybody who played tonight stayed together and encouraged one another to keep playing it out, and we found ourselves in the ballgame."
The speed and efficiency of the Mavs' comeback was stunning, considering what they were facing. A 2-0 series deficit was staring the Western Conference champs in the face before a 22-5 run was capped by Dirk Nowitzki's left-handed, game-winning layup with 3.6 seconds left for a 95-93 victory.
The finishing kick could very well end up defining the Finals and the season for the Mavericks. It wasn't out of the ordinary, especially this postseason. The Mavs have rallied to win facing double-digit deficits once in each of the four rounds so far. All on the road.
They did it from 12 down at Portland in Game 6 to close out the series. The Lakers series opened with a 16-point comeback to quickly steal the homecourt edge. Dallas rallied from 15 down in the fourth quarter at Oklahoma City in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead that effectively eliminated the Thunder.
But none was bigger than what took place Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Much was made of LeBron James and Wade celebrating in front of the Dallas bench after taking the 15-point lead, but the Mavs shutting the Heat's best two players down afterward proved to be the difference.
James and Wade missed all seven of their shots, including five 3-pointers, and combined for just two points (James free throws) over the final seven minutes. Having those two try to put the game away from outside the arc on a night when they repeatedly got to the rim aided the comeback.
"At that point we want to stay in front of them, get a hand up and hope they missed," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "They missed a couple of shots, and it allowed us to keep our momentum going."
Miami missed 10 of its last 11 attempts, getting only a wide-open 3-pointer from Mario Chalmers to fall with 24.5 seconds left. Nowitzki, of course, followed Chalmers' game-tying shot with driving layup to clinch the road split.
"We got stops and we maybe gave up two offensive rebounds in that last seven minutes," Kidd said. "Guys just stayed together. Even with that last 3-pointer that Chalmers made, everybody just looked forward and said, 'Let's find a way to win the game.' "
The run began on the defensive end, but the Mavs really didn't have much margin for error with the ball. Every possession was crucial, and the Mavs were nearly perfect.
The Mavs scored on seven straight possessions from the point Jason Terry nailed a 16-footer with 6:18 left, ending with Nowitzki's 18-footer with 2:44 left. Dallas secured six defensive rebounds during that stretch. Suddenly, the Heat's seemingly insurmountable lead was down to 90-88.
"We always believed that we could come back regardless of the score," Shawn Marion said.
Nowitzki's layup tied the score with 57.6 seconds left. Miami called timeout before Wade misfired on another 3-pointer. Nowitzki nailed his only 3-pointer of the night with 26.7 seconds remaining, putting the Mavs up 93-90.
Chalmers would knot it up before Nowitzki's final heroics. The franchise's all-time leading scorer scored the Mavs' last nine points. Jason Terry added eight during the decisive Finals-turning spurt.
"He followed through and left the hand up," Mavericks guard Jason Kidd said of Wade's 3-pointer that gave the Heat an 88-73 lead with 7:14 left. "The big thing was he made the shot and at that point we were down 15. For us, we had nothing to lose. We had to keep playing. Everybody who played tonight stayed together and encouraged one another to keep playing it out, and we found ourselves in the ballgame."
The speed and efficiency of the Mavs' comeback was stunning, considering what they were facing. A 2-0 series deficit was staring the Western Conference champs in the face before a 22-5 run was capped by Dirk Nowitzki's left-handed, game-winning layup with 3.6 seconds left for a 95-93 victory.
The finishing kick could very well end up defining the Finals and the season for the Mavericks. It wasn't out of the ordinary, especially this postseason. The Mavs have rallied to win facing double-digit deficits once in each of the four rounds so far. All on the road.
They did it from 12 down at Portland in Game 6 to close out the series. The Lakers series opened with a 16-point comeback to quickly steal the homecourt edge. Dallas rallied from 15 down in the fourth quarter at Oklahoma City in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead that effectively eliminated the Thunder.
But none was bigger than what took place Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Much was made of LeBron James and Wade celebrating in front of the Dallas bench after taking the 15-point lead, but the Mavs shutting the Heat's best two players down afterward proved to be the difference.
James and Wade missed all seven of their shots, including five 3-pointers, and combined for just two points (James free throws) over the final seven minutes. Having those two try to put the game away from outside the arc on a night when they repeatedly got to the rim aided the comeback.
"At that point we want to stay in front of them, get a hand up and hope they missed," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "They missed a couple of shots, and it allowed us to keep our momentum going."
Miami missed 10 of its last 11 attempts, getting only a wide-open 3-pointer from Mario Chalmers to fall with 24.5 seconds left. Nowitzki, of course, followed Chalmers' game-tying shot with driving layup to clinch the road split.
"We got stops and we maybe gave up two offensive rebounds in that last seven minutes," Kidd said. "Guys just stayed together. Even with that last 3-pointer that Chalmers made, everybody just looked forward and said, 'Let's find a way to win the game.' "
The run began on the defensive end, but the Mavs really didn't have much margin for error with the ball. Every possession was crucial, and the Mavs were nearly perfect.
The Mavs scored on seven straight possessions from the point Jason Terry nailed a 16-footer with 6:18 left, ending with Nowitzki's 18-footer with 2:44 left. Dallas secured six defensive rebounds during that stretch. Suddenly, the Heat's seemingly insurmountable lead was down to 90-88.
"We always believed that we could come back regardless of the score," Shawn Marion said.
Nowitzki's layup tied the score with 57.6 seconds left. Miami called timeout before Wade misfired on another 3-pointer. Nowitzki nailed his only 3-pointer of the night with 26.7 seconds remaining, putting the Mavs up 93-90.
Chalmers would knot it up before Nowitzki's final heroics. The franchise's all-time leading scorer scored the Mavs' last nine points. Jason Terry added eight during the decisive Finals-turning spurt.
Once again, the problems of closing out games crept up on the Miami Heat. After taking a commanding 88-73 lead with 5 minutes left in the 4th. The Heat started to settle on contested jump shots which allowed Dallas to act quickly and efficiently to get easy baskets and the free throw line. D-Wade was the only of the Big Three to show up for the Heat in the game. LeBron and Bosh need to get their act together tonight.
The Dallas Mavericks did it again. It should be noted to never count them out until the clock hits 0:00 in the 4th Quarter. Jason "the Jet" Terry found his shot when it really mattered along with the Matrix, Shawn Marion. That allowed Dirk to be Dirk who's middle finger really didn't seem to affect him as he drove down the lane to put the game away for the Mavs in a 95-93 comeback victory.
Can the Heat bounce back after the shocking defeat?
Will LeBron and Bosh show up?
Can Bibby, Miller, Chalmers, and the rest provide the backup the Big Three so desperately need?
Will Dirk continue to be Dirk! despite the injured finger?
Will Dallas be affected by the loss of Brendan Haywood?
Will the Jet continue to show his wings?
I do believe the winner of this game will win the series.