Bosh Last-Second Shot Secures Game 3 Win For Heat

Photoshop by Payton Wales

DALLAS -- Dwyane Wade looked like a man possessed June 5, refusing to let the Dallas Mavericks defeat his Miami Heat. But it was Chris Bosh who became the Game 3 hero.

Bosh, who had 18 points on the night, seemed timid throughout the night, passing up wide-open shots on numerous occasions and drawing the criticism of many. But all of that came to an end with 39.6 seconds left in the game when Bosh hit a 17-footer to give the Heat the win, 88-86.

"This series is turning out to be an absolute series of endurance, mental and physical," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We didn't expect anything less than the competitive physicality of this game tonight. Our guys really competed. At times it was a little uneven, but we found ways to make plays on both ends of the court, to grind this game out in a very enduring win."

The Heat were up 81-74 with 6:32 left in the game and seemed poised to close it out. But Dallas, much like in Game 2, had other intentions, sparking a fourth-quarter rally behind Dirk Nowitzki's heroics. Nowitzki, who had 34 points and 11 rebounds on the night, put up 12 straight points in the fourth quarter, including one if his patented off-balance fadeaways.
 
The rally wouldn't be enough this time though as Wade just wouldn't let the Heat resign. Wade, who scored 7 points in the fourth quarter and 29 on the evening, relentlessly attacked the Mavericks defense, hitting big shot after big shot to keep Miami ahead every time the Mavericks threatened to take the lead.

Wade also had 11 rebounds on the night. When asked about the win, Wade said, "We felt this was a must-win, and we put it upon ourselves to get the home-court (advantage) back."

The final seconds saw Shawn Marion play lock-down defense on LeBron James, forcing a 24-second violation, leaving the Heat pounding their heads with frustration. Jason Terry then missed a jumper from the elbow, which opened the opportunity for Bosh to hit his game-winner.

"I don't know the number of times we climbed out of holes," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said about the loss. "But it's just always going to make the game harder."

Dallas, who was without center Brendan Haywood, found it hard to aggressively protect the paint, worrying about foul trouble for most of the game while also stumbling on offense. While Nowitzki has been consistent, the rest of his starting five has not, struggling to produce points to help the 7-foot power forward.

Jason Kidd had 9 points in the loss and Marion only added 10 to close out the night. It goes without saying if the Mavericks are going to win Game 4, they will need to receive bigger contributions from their starters in what Nowitzki said is "basically a must-win situation."

The Game 3 victory bodes well for the Heat historically. Since the NBA Finals went to the 2-3-2 format in 1985, the winner of Game 3 in a tied series has won all 11 times.

The Heat will look to extend their lead against Dallas June 6 at the American Airlines Center.

Mavs v. Heat: Game 2 Recap

Photoshop by  Payton Wales

MIAMI -- It was one of the biggest comebacks in NBA Finals history, and the Miami Heat were on the losing end of it.

Dirk Nowitzki walked away the hero, scoring 24 points, including the game-winning layup with 3.6 seconds left to help the Mavericks seal the Game 2 victory, 95-93, against the Heat. Nowitzki's layup capped off a monstrous 15-point comeback by the Mavericks late in the fourth quarter. The win evened the series with the Heat at one game a piece.

Dwyane Wade, who had 36 points, had a chance to win the game for Miami, but his desperation 3-pointer was off the mark as time expired.

With 7:15 left in the fourth quarter and the score, 88-73 in Miami's favor, Dallas looked more like boiled lobster than a contender. Then, Wade hit a 3-pointer in the corner. His celebration that followed, including 15 seconds worth of posing with his follow-through in the air, was just enough to irritate and motivate the Mavericks, proving to be the turning point of the game. 

From that point on, the Mavericks would play lockdown defense, only allowing the Heat to score a three by Mario Chalmers to tie the game with 24.5 seconds left, a shot that would tie the game 93-93. Jason Terry, who had been ineffective in Game 1 and the first half of Game 2, was the catalyst for the comeback, hitting a couple big jumpers to get the Mavericks off and running. Terry finished the game with 16 points.

Shawn Marion also added 20 points and eight rebounds to round out the box score for the Mavericks.

"I thought defensively we really got into them," Nowitzki said postgame about the rally. "We pressured them full court and we scrambled defensively. We even gave up some offensive rebounds, but we kept scrambling."

Miami's collapse was one of historic proportions and it also dealt them their first playoff loss in 10 games at home. The next three games will be in Dallas, starting with Game 3 on June 5. If Miami wants to get back down to South Beach, they must win at least one game.

Los Angeles Lakers: Round 2 Preview

LOS ANGELES-- The Lakers finished off the Hornets rather easily in their first-round matchup. But to hear the critics tell it, they struggled to win the series, 4-2.

In the Lakers' two losses, the Hornets played as close to perfect as a team and a point guard, Chris Paul, can play. And they won ... barely. In almost all of the Lakers' wins, the outcome was decided before the fourth quarter even started, something contenders like the Heat and Bulls cannot lay claim to.

Critics tell an entirely different story when it comes to those teams. They talk of their dominance and how easily they dispatched their opponents. It's a falsehood. Perhaps that is the reason so many critics have picked the Lakers to lose this series. Why they picked Dallas to win, a team critics said had no chance at making it to Round 2. They were too old, too tired, too disjointed. Now, after dispatching the Trailblazers, they are Laker killers.

What would prompt such outrageous claims outside of the world of jealousy and a hatred for dominance?

Maybe it's the make up of the Mavericks. True, they are old and slower, but they have their perks too. Dirk Nowitzki is damn near unguardable and was absolutely unconscious as a player to start this season. He is still hungry, he wants to win terribly bad and witnessing that means the Mavericks will go as far as he can carry them. And that might be the Mavericks downfall.

Jason Kidd is there, an older and slower version but still steady, smart, crafty and a now beyond capable outside jump shooter. Kidd can still lead a team and still has a knack for coming up big when it counts. His downfall is he is slow enough for someone like Derek Fisher to guard and for someone like Matt Barnes to dominate.

Tyson Chandler has emerged as a defensive presence in the paint, helping to anchor a Dallas defense that in previous years had been known as soft. Chandler should disrupt the paint for the Mavericks and help on the boards, but he won't prevent a bigger, stronger, faster Andrew Bynum from continuing his emergence as the league's second-best center. Chandler will not be able to match Bynum's offensive output.

From there, the matchup gaps become redily apparant, well, minus Mark Cuban's running snark and commentary. But honestly, who can possibly match up with that?

Pau Gasol will give Nowitzki just as much trouble on the offensive end, and the people who claim Shawn Marion, DeShawn Stevenson or a 70-percent healthy Caron Butler can hold Kobe Bryant in check are in for a rude awakening. Bryant may be aging, but that age has him at the third-best player in the world instead of first or second. Ron Artest will be a nightmare for Marion, or anyone else he guards, while Matt Barnes will finish you off what Artest doesn't do first.

The X-factor, as usual, is Lamar Odom. As he goes, so will the Lakers bench. When he gets going, so do they. With no one to guard Odom, the second string will see various opportunities open up for all the role players. As we saw this season, the Lakers bench is more than capable of lighting up opposition just like the first team does.

It comes down to depth as well as offensive and defensive weapons, and the Lakers have them in abundance, not even considering the Lakers' experience making it to the Finals or their success against the Mavericks throughout the last decade. Dallas may have three players who can make life tough for the Lakers, but Los Angeles has six or seven of their own, and that will prove to be too much for the Mavericks.

Of course if critics tell it, Lakers equals Kobe Bryant and he, according to them, is washed up, no longer consistently great. Only time will tell, but when the dust settles out west, the Lakers will be the only gunslingers still standing.

Series Prediction: Lakers in 5

Keys to Winning:
-- Establish the post presence early
-- Heavy focus on the defense of Jason Terry, Marion and possibly Butler, if he plays.
-- Getting Lamar Odom involved and productive. His productiviy will improve the rest of the bench.
-- Make Mark Cuban lose his mind. This should be the most entertaining part of this series.