Miami Heat Win Game 1, Continue Finals Dominance Against the Mavericks

Photoshopped by Payton Wales

MIAMI -- The Dallas Mavericks' road to redemption stumbled coming out of the blocks May 31, when the Mavericks lost to the Miami Heat, 92-84.

For three quarters, the game was back and forth, a battle of who wanted it more. But when the dust settled, Miami's three superstars emerged victorious. LeBron James posted 24 points and 9 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Bosh posted 19 points to secure the Game 1 victory.

Dirk Nowitzki had a game-high 27 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter as he tried to help the Mavericks close the gap on the Heat late in the fourth quarter. Shawn Marion added 16 points and Jason Terry had 12 points, but it wasn't enough to help the Mavericks pull off a win. They shot 25-of-67 from the floor, their worst performance so far in these playoffs.

The offensive performance by the Miami Heat wasn't much better, shooting only 31-of-80 from the field on 38 percent shooting. But it was their 11-for-24 performance from behind the arc (45 percent) and their staggeringly-high rebound advantage that helped to propel them to a win.

When asked about the loss, Mavericks center Tyson Chandler blamed it all on "Finals jitters," while head coach Rick Carlisle promised “we’ll play better” June 2 for the Game 2 matchup, still on the Heat's home court.

The Mavericks, who are known for their outstanding ball movement, found it hard to get open shots due the stifling defense the Heat put up, specifically in the first and third quarters where the Heat held the Mavericks to 17 points in each quarter.

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki talked about the Mavericks offensive difficulties postgame saying, “They’re very good defensively. What makes them so good, they’re so athletic on the wing that even when we swung it sometimes, they’re able to cover a lot of ground, LeBron and Wade, and still run out at our shooters or contest shots on the weak side.

“They’re long and active on the perimeter and when we do get that opportunity to swing the ball, we have to knock shots down. That’s what it comes down to. When we do have some looks, we have to knock them down.”

The Mavericks might have more difficult roadblocks to overcome due to an injury suffered by Nowitzki. Early in the game, the Mavericks power forward suffered a torn tendon in his non-shooting hand.

“There’s a torn tendon in my finger,” he said at the postgame press conference with his hand in a brace. “It was just on a freak play. [Chris] Bosh got a bounce pass and stepped in. I thought I stripped him clean and then I kind of looked down and I couldn’t straighten my finger out anymore."

So the lingering question is will Nowitzki be ready to play come Thursday night? The true extent of the injury is still unknown, but Nowitzki will wear a splint for the rest of the series.

One thing is clear, the Mavericks will have to play a lot better if they want to defeat the Heat and regain the redemption they have been seeking since 2006.