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Without injured Wade, Heat face Mavericks in Finals rematch

Feb 22, 2007 - 4:50 PM Miami (26-27) at Dallas (44-9) 9:30 pm EST

DALLAS (Ticker) -- Dwyane Wade torched the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. He can only watch on Thursday.

One day after suffering a dislocated shoulder, Wade will be sidelined when the Miami Heat visit the Mavericks in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

The reigning Finals MVP, Wade collided with Houston's Shane Battier and immediately grimaced in pain before leaving Wednesday's 112-102 loss to the Rockets. He went from the bench in a wheelchair, headed to a hospital for further tests and will not travel with the team Wednesday night to Dallas.

The injury to Wade overshadowed coach Pat Riley's return to the sidelines after taking a 22-game leave of absence to undergo operations on his knee and hip.

With legendary center Shaquille O'Neal rounding into form, it looked as though Miami was going to continue to rise in the Eastern Conference. Winners of seven of their last nine games, the Heat will suffer a big blow if Wade is sidelined for an extended period.

Holding a league-best 44-9 record, the Mavericks entered the All-Star break on a nine-game winning streak. Last Thursday, Dallas defeated Houston, 80-77. Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and eight rebounds and Jason Terry scored the final six points of the game.

In the first meeting between the squads on January 21, the Mavericks held on for a 99-93 triumph over the Heat.