If you listened to the media after Dallas won Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals, Miami was dead. Dwyane Wade had the sniffles, Shaquille O'neal was over the hill, Gary Payton was a non-factor and Udonis Haslem had a bum shoulder.
The Heat were done. They were finished. ESPN's Greg Anthony was burying them and Tim Legler was kicking dirt in their eyes.
The loud majority felt the series wouldn't even make it back to Dallas. After all, Dirk Nowitzki wasn't even lighting it up yet. The Mavericks had faced the Heat four times and won by double digits on each occasion.
When the Mavs had a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3, the aforementioned revelations all seemed to be coming true. At this point, Wade was limping and Payton was scoreless.
But in the span of six minutes, everything changed. Wade found a second wind and another gear, relentlessly attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. Suddenly he couldn't miss a mid-range jumper. Instead of Miami struggling to defend Jason Terry on the pick-n-roll, it was the Mavs failing to contain Wade at the other end.
The Marquette product finished with a game-high 43 points in Game 3, scoring 15 during the crunch-time stanza. With the game tied in the last 15 seconds, Wade had to pass out of a double team to Jason Williams, who penetrated and kicked to Payton on the right wing.
The veteran guard, who has played in the fourth-most postseason games of any player in NBA history that hasn't won an NBA title, had not taken a shot all night long. His days of leading Seattle in scoring and playing the most tenacious on-the-ball defense in the league seemed to be a distant memory. After all, it was 11 years ago when Payton and the once-lean-and-explosive Shawn Kemp forced Michael Jordan and the Bulls to a sixth game before losing in the 1995 Finals.
But as much as time has taken away a lot of Payton's speed and quickness, his moxy and arrogance remain unfazed. So when he made the catch late in the shot clock with a Mavs defender running at him, Payton was cool as a cucumber, clearing space with a ballfake and one dribble to his left before draining a 20-footer for the most timely shot of his outstanding career.
Moments later, after Nowitzki missed a potential game-tying free throw, the Heat had a 98-96 win and the series was (back) on.
Pat Riley's squad cruised to an easy victory and its only spread cover of the series in Game 4, holding Dallas to just seven points in the fourth quarter of a 98-74 triumph.
In Game 5, Miami had to come from behind once again behind the heroics of Wade, who scored 43 points (again), including a pair of free throws with 1.9 seconds left in overtime. Wade knocked down 21-of-25 shots from the charity stripe with the final made free throw giving the Heat a 101-100 lead.
Before Wade's second free throw, Josh Howard inexplicably called Dallas's last timeout. So when Wade converted the second attempt, the Mavs couldn't advance the ball to halfcourt, resulting in a long heave from Devin Harris that wasn't even close.
However, Mavs backers still took the money as 2 1/2-point underdogs. Money-line players missed out on the chance to pick up a plus 120 payout. The 'over' hit for the second time of the series.
With Game 6 looming tonight, Dallas faces elimination for only the second time. When Avery Johnson's squad initially faced vacation, it responded by beating San Antonio on the road in Game 7 of the West semifinals.
Can the Mavs bounce back from a three-game losing streak and force a Game 7 against Miami? The oddsmakers think so, marking them as six-point favorites with a total of 188. The Heat are plus 250 on the money line.
Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m. Eastern with ABC providing television coverage.
The Heat were done. They were finished. ESPN's Greg Anthony was burying them and Tim Legler was kicking dirt in their eyes.
The loud majority felt the series wouldn't even make it back to Dallas. After all, Dirk Nowitzki wasn't even lighting it up yet. The Mavericks had faced the Heat four times and won by double digits on each occasion.
When the Mavs had a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3, the aforementioned revelations all seemed to be coming true. At this point, Wade was limping and Payton was scoreless.
But in the span of six minutes, everything changed. Wade found a second wind and another gear, relentlessly attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. Suddenly he couldn't miss a mid-range jumper. Instead of Miami struggling to defend Jason Terry on the pick-n-roll, it was the Mavs failing to contain Wade at the other end.
The Marquette product finished with a game-high 43 points in Game 3, scoring 15 during the crunch-time stanza. With the game tied in the last 15 seconds, Wade had to pass out of a double team to Jason Williams, who penetrated and kicked to Payton on the right wing.
The veteran guard, who has played in the fourth-most postseason games of any player in NBA history that hasn't won an NBA title, had not taken a shot all night long. His days of leading Seattle in scoring and playing the most tenacious on-the-ball defense in the league seemed to be a distant memory. After all, it was 11 years ago when Payton and the once-lean-and-explosive Shawn Kemp forced Michael Jordan and the Bulls to a sixth game before losing in the 1995 Finals.
But as much as time has taken away a lot of Payton's speed and quickness, his moxy and arrogance remain unfazed. So when he made the catch late in the shot clock with a Mavs defender running at him, Payton was cool as a cucumber, clearing space with a ballfake and one dribble to his left before draining a 20-footer for the most timely shot of his outstanding career.
Moments later, after Nowitzki missed a potential game-tying free throw, the Heat had a 98-96 win and the series was (back) on.
Pat Riley's squad cruised to an easy victory and its only spread cover of the series in Game 4, holding Dallas to just seven points in the fourth quarter of a 98-74 triumph.
In Game 5, Miami had to come from behind once again behind the heroics of Wade, who scored 43 points (again), including a pair of free throws with 1.9 seconds left in overtime. Wade knocked down 21-of-25 shots from the charity stripe with the final made free throw giving the Heat a 101-100 lead.
Before Wade's second free throw, Josh Howard inexplicably called Dallas's last timeout. So when Wade converted the second attempt, the Mavs couldn't advance the ball to halfcourt, resulting in a long heave from Devin Harris that wasn't even close.
However, Mavs backers still took the money as 2 1/2-point underdogs. Money-line players missed out on the chance to pick up a plus 120 payout. The 'over' hit for the second time of the series.
With Game 6 looming tonight, Dallas faces elimination for only the second time. When Avery Johnson's squad initially faced vacation, it responded by beating San Antonio on the road in Game 7 of the West semifinals.
Can the Mavs bounce back from a three-game losing streak and force a Game 7 against Miami? The oddsmakers think so, marking them as six-point favorites with a total of 188. The Heat are plus 250 on the money line.
Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m. Eastern with ABC providing television coverage.