NBA Finals: James, Wade and Heat Coughing Up Series Against Mavs?
Sunday, June 12, 2011
By Gordon P. Quinn
LeBron James called Game 5 of the NBA Finals the biggest of his career. His performance would suggest otherwise. James had another dismal fourth quarter, and now his Miami Heat are on the brink of losing the NBA title as they host Game 6 of the best-of-seven series against the surging Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.
With superstar teammate Dwyane Wade hobbled by a hip contusion suffered in the first quarter, James was saddled with the responsibility of carrying Miami to the Game 5 win. But the former league MVP couldn't hit shots down the stretch, finishing with two points in the fourth quarter after being held scoreless in the final period in Game 4. He had his first career playoff triple-double in defeat (17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) but those stats masked another subpar effort from James, who will need to be better if Miami hopes to extend the series to a seventh game. Wade had a team-high 23 points but predictably struggled with his mobility.
The Heat have opened as 4½-point favorites on Bet Online Sportsbook’s Live MLB Baseball Odds.
When Dallas is making 3-pointers the way it did in Game 5, there are few teams in the league that can compete. The Mavericks used a long-range barrage to complete yet another fourth-quarter comeback, hitting 13 of 19 3-point attempts on the way to a nine-point win and a series high in points scored. Dirk Nowitzki, no longer feeling the effects of an illness that plagued him in Game 4, had 29 points in 9-for-18 shooting while Jason Terry added 21 points in a reserve role. The Mavericks allowed Miami to shoot 53 percent from the floor but forced 16 turnovers.
Wade has shot 50 percent or better in each of the last four games, and was just a shade below that mark in Game 1. Mavericks G J.J. Barea finally had the breakout game Dallas fans were waiting for, scoring 17 points after managing just 21 in the first four games of the series.
The Mavs are comfortable on the road, where they won Game 2 of this series after a pair of victories at both Los Angeles and Oklahoma City in the previous two rounds. Nowitzki and Jason Terry still remember the pain of watching the Heat celebrate on their floor five years ago, and now they've got the chance for the ultimate payback.
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The Pick: Points and Dallas Mavericks
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dallas mavericks - dirk nowitzki - dwyane wade - j.j. barea - jason terry - lebron james - miami heat - nba finals
