NBA Finals - Game 2

Ok, so if you haven't heard by now, the Miami Heat had a total meltdown at the end of Game 2. Already up 1-0 in the series, Dwyane Wade hit a corner 3-pointer with 7:13 to play in the 4th quarter to put Miami up by 15 points. Admittedly at this point I changed the channel in disgust opting to watch the two worst teams in the National League (Houston and San Diego) play one another. I did however flip back a few minutes later and see that it was now 88-77 and then 88-81. Then 90-84. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Dallas tied the game and then took the lead. HOW??? Let's look at what Miami did in the last 7 minutes of the game on offense.

Possession 1: Up by 15 - Dwyane Wade - missed 3-pointer
Possession 2: Up by 13 - Mario Chalmers - missed 3-pointer
Possession 3: Up by 11 - LeBron James - missed driving layup
Possession 4: Up by 9 - Chris Bosh - missed 21 footer
Possession 5: Up by 7 - LeBron James - fouled by Tyson Chandler on a drive, hits two free throws.
Possession 6: Up by 6 - LeBron James - missed 16 footer
Possession 7: Up by 4 - Chris Bosh - turnover
Possession 8: Up by 2 - Udonis Haslem - missed 15 footer
Possession 9: Up by 2 - LeBron James - missed 3-pointer
Offensive Rebound - LeBron James - missed 3-pointer
Offensive Rebound - Udonis Haslem - turnover
Possession 10: Tie Game - Dwyane Wade - missed 3-pointer
Possession 11: Down by 3 - Mario Chalmers - made 3-pointer (blown coverage on inbounds play)
Possession 12: Down by 2 - Dwyane Wade - missed 3-pointer

12 possessions, 5 points. And their only basket came when Jason Terry blew a coverage on an inbounds play after going DOWN by three points allowing LeBron James to find a wide open Mario Chalmers for the uncontested 3-pointer. Other than that? Miami took 10 shots and missed all of them, including 6 3-point attempts. Over the final 7:13, Dallas was outscored 22-5 by the Mavericks, one of the biggest meltdowns in finals history. Instead of running plays, Miami instead opted for isolations and settled for contested long jump-shots. Dwyane Wade had 36 points, but he did not attempt a 2-point shot (he hit 11 of 13 of those in the game) or a free throw (12 attempts prior to the meltdown) in the final 7:13 instead shooting 3s and missing them. Wade and James combined to hit just 4 of 14 3-point attempts, which isn't BAD, but it isn't good either. Perhaps more telling is that Miami attempted 30 3-pointers in Game 2. Dallas, a team known for their 3-point shooting, only attempted 17.

Dallas meanwhile was able to get out in transition a little bit and make some shots and for the third time this postseason, erased a 15 point deficit.In Game 1 against the Lakers, they trailed 60-44 with 10:38 to play in the 3rd quarter before stealing the game 96-94 in L.A. In Game 4 against the Thunder, the Mavs led the series 2-1, but they trailed Oklahoma City, again on the road, 99-84 with 5:05 to play before going on a 17-2 run to close out regulation and a 28-6 run to finish their 112-105 overtime win. And now this. Three road games against three GOOD teams. Unbelievable.


In Game 1, Miami had a considerable rebounding edge grabbing 16 offensive rebounds and outrebounding the Mavs 46-36. In Game 2 Dallas made the adjustment and outrebounded Miami 41-30 limiting the Heat to just 6 offensive rebounds. Still, Game 2 featured 20 Mavericks turnovers that led to 31 Miami points. And they STILL found a way to win. To make matters worse for the Heat, they not only wasted a big game for Dwyane Wade with his aforementioned 36 points, but they also wasted Mike Bibby's best game of the postseason. Bibby scored 14 points draining 4 3-pointers (the same amount he'd hit in each of the first three 5-game series), but it was for nothing. It was the first time this postseason Bibby'd been in double figures. Equally concerning for the Heat, Chris Bosh hit 4 of 16 shots in Game 2 after hitting 5 of 18 in Game 1. AND he got torched by Dirk on the game's final play. Where's his head going to be at headed to Dallas (where he's from) for Game 3?

Speaking of Dirk, let's not downplay the fact that he led the Mavericks with 24 points, including their final 9, despite playing with a torn tendon in his left middle finger. This included lefty layups to tie the game at 90 and to win it. Any questions about his toughness and his ability to perform under pressure have to have been answered by what he's done this season. Dirk didn't do it alone though. Shawn Marion kept the Mavs in the game with 20 points, Tyson Chandler had 13, Jason Terry scored 8 of his 16 in the 4th quarter and Jason Kidd hit another big 3-pointer during the stretch run. Consider that Dallas won this game despite the turnovers, despite losing backup center Brendan Haywood to an injury, despite getting 0 points from Peja Stojakovic (again), and the fact that they needed to play "The Custodian" Brian Cardinal in the second half.

So what does this mean for the series? While I don't expect Miami to melt down and get swept in Dallas, the bigger factor is that Dallas now has some of their swagger back. Instead of limping home down 2-0, they're tied a 1 game apiece, and they now should have no doubts that they can hang with this Miami team. And we still haven't seen the best from Dallas's bench yet as Stojakovic and Barea still haven't gotten hot. Don't be surprised to see Dallas take a 2-1 lead tomorrow night on their home floor and really make this series exciting.