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NBA Finals shift to Dallas for Game 3

Jun 5, 2011 - 2:25 PM (Sports Network) - The scene shifts to north Texas tonight when the Dallas Mavericks play host to the Miami Heat in the pivotal Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

A remarkable comeback on Thursday in Game 2 has shifted momentum to the Mavs in the series.

Dirk Nowitzki spun around Chris Bosh and lurched to the basket for a go-ahead left-handed layup in the final seconds of that one, lifting Dallas to a thrilling 95-93 victory over Miami.

The Mavs had been staring at a daunting 15-point deficit with six-plus minutes remaining and an 0-2 series hole when they went on a game-ending 22-5 run to erase the Heat's big cushion.

"That's about as tough a fourth quarter as you can have. When it started to slide, it just kept going," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

Despite playing with a splint on his left middle finger after tearing a tendon late in Tuesday's Game 1, Nowitzki scored the final nine points for his team, ending with 24 points as Dallas improbably evened the best-of-seven series at one game apiece with the next three contests set to take place in north Texas.

"It's an honor and a pleasure to watch him play," TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said after watching Dirk fuel yet another unlikely comeback. "They talk about Champagne and Mercedes Benz [being the greatest European import to America]. [Dirk] is the greatest European import ever."

Nowitzki finished 10-of-22 from the floor, including 4-of-7 in the fourth quarter.

"I played with (Larry) Bird for three years when he was the best player in the world. Guys like [Bird and Nowitzki] don't feel pain right now," said Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle. "If you're feeling pain, you make yourself numb so you don't feel pain."

Shawn Marion scored 10 points in each half for Dallas, while Tyson Chandler added 13 and Jason Terry scored 16 off the bench. Nowitzki also had a game- high 11 rebounds.

Guarded by the tough-minded Udonis Haslem for much the game, Nowitzki drew Bosh near the left elbow on Dallas' final play. Using his 7-foot body to create space, Nowitzki first looked right, then spun left, leaving Bosh in the dust. Haslem was late with the weakside help and a Miami crowd that was celebrating moments earlier was sent out into the night in shock

"He does the move that he always does. He uses his body well," said Bosh. "I got caught up in trying to cover his drive, and that's what he wanted. I just played bad defense for a couple of seconds, and it cost us two points."

"We pride ourselves on the defensive end," added Heat star Dwyane Wade, "and they were able to break us down."

Wade, stealing the show for Miami until the final minutes, missed a long, gliding three-point try at the buzzer with a chance to win the game for the Heat. He led all scorers with 36 points, scoring 21 of them in the first half, while LeBron James had 20 points and Bosh 12.

When the Heat do fall, fingers usually point at James and Wade. Miami was up 88-73 with 7:14 remaining when Wade, after two unselfish passes from James and Mario Chalmers, buried a three-pointer from the right corner.

Wade left his right hand dangling in the air for the whole building to see, and he celebrated with James in front of the Dallas bench as the Mavs called a timeout. Some Dallas players said the celebration bothered them.

"There was no celebration at all," James said. "I was excited that he hit a big shot and we went up 15."

"When you blow a big lead you have to do two things wrong: not score and not stop the other team," Barkley said. "Let's take our hats off to the Dallas Mavericks. It's like LeBron [James] and Dwyane Wade were playing hero basketball."

Carlisle will likely try to temper his team a bit by pointing out that the Heat have outplayed the Mavs thus far with the exception of some small stretches.

But one thing is certain, in a tight game, it's advantage Mavericks thanks to Nowitzki.

"In this league, you gotta play to the end," Dirk said. "You can be down 20, you gotta keep plugging."

The series is a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, when Wade and the Heat beat Nowitzki's Mavericks in six games after falling behind 0-2 in the series. It was the only other time either franchise made the Finals.

Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday, also in Dallas.