NBA Finals Pick: With Heat In Command, Cool Heads Must Prevail
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
By Gordon P. Quinn
The Miami Heat needed a clutch Chris Bosh basket to avoid squandering another double-digit lead in the NBA Finals. Thanks to Bosh's heroics, Miami carries a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 against the host Dallas Mavericks, and can take a stranglehold on the best-of-seven with a victory Tuesday night.
Dallas has had a double-digit comeback in every series so far in the postseason, and nearly staged another in Game 3. Down by as many as 14 points, the Mavericks stormed back to tie the game late. Dirk Nowitzki, who had a game-high 34 points in defeat, had one final chance to send the game to overtime but his mid-range jumper was off the mark.
The Mavericks have opened as 3-point favorites on SBG Global’s Live NBA Basketball Odds.
Taking better care of the basketball will be paramount in the Mavericks' minds entering Game 4. Dallas is a -11 in the turnover department so far in the series and, while many of those can be attributed to Miami's suffocating defense, several others are the result of sloppy play by the Mavericks.
Miami's poor shot selection and decision-making cost the team down the stretch in Game 2. While it wasn't much better in Game 3 - the Heat led by seven points midway through the fourth quarter but gave it all back - Bosh came through for the first time in the series, burying a 16-foot jumper with 39 seconds left for the go-ahead points.
Dwyane Wade had 29 points and 11 rebounds and was by far the best player on the Heat roster, taking over the scoring load while Bosh (7 for 18 from the floor) and James (6 for 14) struggled. Mario Chalmers was also a factor, hitting four 3-pointers in a reserve role.
Lebron James is averaging just over 20 points against Dallas, well below his totals over the Heat's first three playoff encounters. The Dallas bench shot just 8 for 24 in the Game 3 loss and is at a paltry 30 percent (20 for 66) in the series.
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The Pick: Miami Heat
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chris bosh - dallas mavericks - dirk nowitzki - dwyane wade - lebron james - mario chalmers - miami heat - nba finals
