? Miami Heat 88-86 Dallas Mavericks
? Chris Bosh put Miami ahead with 39 seconds remaining
The Miami Heat held on for an 88-86 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals series.
Chris Bosh put Miami ahead with a jump shot from the baseline with 39.6 seconds left as Miami finally managed to contain Dirk Nowitzki in the closing seconds to hold on for victory.
"This is a total win," said Dwayne Wade, who led Miami with 29 points and 11 rebounds. "You want to win the game on the defensive end of the floor and we got a stop."
Recent history suggests this was a huge win for the Heat. The Game Three winner in tied finals series has gone on to win the championship each of the 11 times it has happened since the 2-3-2 format began in 1985.
The Heat are headed into Game Four on Tuesday with a chance to do what they did in 2006: win it all on Dallas's floor. They'll need to win that game and the next, on Thursday.
"I feel like we did nothing but get home-court advantage back," Wade said. "But the next game is a big game. We have to bring our hard hats, understanding it's going to be tougher to win that game than it was to win this one. I believe in this team. If anyone can do it, I believe we can."
The Heat, who blew a 15-point lead in the last quarter of Game Two, nearly did it again on Sunday, coughing up a 14-point lead. They led 81-74 with 6min 31sec left and Miami's players knew the Mavericks' comeback bid would be in Nowitzki's hands, but they still couldn't stop the German, who scored 12 straight Dallas points with six free throws, a layup, a dunk and a tough jumper to make it 86-86.
Miami went back in front when Bosh sank a clutch jumper from the baseline. It was even more impressive considering his left eyelid was swollen because of an accidental poke in the first quarter, and he'd been misfiring all series, even when his vision was good.
"I don't care if he missed 15 in a row," James said. "He was wide open and that's his sweet spot. It's the trust we have in each other's ability, no matter what the point of the game is at."
The Mavericks of course went back to Nowitzki on its last two chances. Right after Bosh scored, Nowitzki wanted to take a shot near the foul line but was double-teamed and his attempted pass went out of bounds.
After the final timeout, Dallas had 4.4 seconds left to go for the tie or win. The inbounds pass went to Nowitzki and he was alone against Udonis Haslem just above the foul line. Haslem walked the fine line between disrupting the shot while avoiding a foul, and the German's shot bounced off the rim.
"He's a great player, 7 feet, so he's going to shoot over me," Haslem said. "I've got to make it tough on him."
When the buzzer went off, Haslem screamed in delight as the Dallas crowd groaned.
"Emotional game, fought back, and to fall short at the end is tough," said Nowitzki who scored 34 points. "But they need two more. Hopefully we can play a better all-around game and finally get some shots to go down."
Wade made 12 of 21 shots and was at his dynamic best from the start, looking like the player who lifted the Heat past Dallas and to the title in 2006.
"He was aggressive and took good shots," Bosh said. "We rode the wave for a little while. He set the tone for us."
Most of his baskets came in the paint where the Heat outscored the Mavs 40-22 and many of them were spectacular. But he also stemmed Dallas's rally by hitting a go-ahead jumper over Kidd for Miami's second-to-last basket, and he made sure to keep his team-mates properly focused, offering praise or scolding when needed. When James was duped into a shot-clock violation in the final minutes, Wade pounded his fists on his head in frustration.
"I've been here before," Wade said. "So [I was] just trying to lead. My guys did a great job of following that lead. We were able to come out with the win."
Wade and Bosh each scored seven points in the fourth quarter. Bosh finished with 18 points.
LeBron James finished with 17 points and nine assists. He also had four turnovers, including a pair during the fourth quarter not counting the shot-clock violation that helped bring Dallas back.
Nowitzki scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, but didn't get much help, in the period or the rest of the game.
Terry scored 15 and Shawn Marion had 10. Both were shut out in the fourth quarter. The only other scorers were backup point guard JJ Barea early in the quarter and Tyson Chandler dunking off a rebound.
For the game, Nowitzki made 11 shots, the rest of the Mavericks 17.
"We have to have somebody step up besides Dirk," said Jason Kidd, who had nine points and 10 assists, but also four turnovers. Giveaways haunted Dallas throughout the game, especially the first half, helping keep Miami comfortably ahead. "We have to figure out how to get up front and play up front. The big thing is we've got to be able to make plays late in the game. Game Two we made the plays, Game Three we just didn't."
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