DALLAS — Dirk vs. Wade.
LeBron⢠Who's that?
Dirk vs. Wade.
Tell me if it gets better than that.
The pivotal Game 3 of the NBA Finals was coming down to a classic shootout pitting two of the game's best shootout artists.
And then?
Chris Bosh.
The local guy out of Lincoln High School in Dallas hits the biggest shot of his life, a baseline jumper from 18 feet.
With it, the Heat took a big bite out of these Finals, winning 88-86 in downtown Dallas, leaving the Dallas Mavericks with plenty to chew on in their goal to please the world with a upset of these Miami people.
The Mavs, down 2-1 in the series, now must win the next two here to get back to Miami next weekend needing only one road win for a title.
In the end Sunday night, Dirk Nowitzki had the final chance to tie it, but missed from 14 feet as the air went out of a frantic, pumped-up arena.
"The look," Nowitzki said, "was as good as you can get."
Dirk, playing with a damaged right wrist from the first half, had made 12 straight points, and Dwyane Wade seven straight as they went head up down the stretch.
But in an 86-86 deadlock in the final minute, Nowitzki passed instead of shot. It was the right move under double-team pressure.
He passed to Jason Terry in the corner. Jet missed, remaining scoreless in the fourth quarter. Which brings us back to Game 2, and the wonderment of why the Heat would have ever allowed Nowitzki to get off the final shot.
But then there was Bosh on the other end after the Terry miss. If there was one guy the Mavs wanted taking a clutch shot, it would have been
Bosh, who was 6 for 17 from the field at that point.
This time, however, there was a bingo at 39 seconds.
The Mavs came back with Dirk, and when the double team came again, he was looking for Shawn Marion. But the under-pressure pass was off-target, and although the Mavericks got another chance still two down, Nowitzki couldn't nail it.
But the entire game was a case of the Mavericks repeatedly climbing off the mat, ducking Miami knockout punches. The Heat built a lead of 14 points in the first half, then 13 in the third quarter, then appeared to be pulling away in the fourth with a seven-point lead.
Back came the Mavs each time.
Wade was answering Dirk in crunch time, but the obvious Mavs problem in this series is Wade has more options when it comes to help. And no, Mario Chalmers was not considered one of those, except his 12 points on four 3-pointers was a huge factor and continued Chalmers' strong play in the series.
Nowitzki totaled out with 34 points, 15 in the fourth quarter.
Otherwise?
Terry had 15, but none in the fourth, and Shawn Marion added 10 on a poor 4-for-12 shooting night.
Beyond Dirk (11 for 21), the other eight Mavs who took a shot were a pathetic 17 for 49. Ugh.
"Our balance .125 scoring-wise .375 has been one of our calling cards, and I think we're going to get better at it," said Rick Carlisle, the Mavs coach.
Well, that will have to happen in a hurry, like on Tuesday night.
"Our problem tonight was we were digging out of holes all night," added Carlisle.
Mainly, that was because of Wade, who was on a mission in the first half, and then down the stretch. But of his 29 points, there were only 10 in the second half.
LeBron was a dunk-a-thon in the first quarter, then went docile again, ending up with 17 points. And Bosh was again no fear factor, until he nailed the big one at the end.
That dang Chalmers, he was the killer. This guy even threw in a 40-footer to close the first quarter. How big was that 3-prayer in the final outcome?
The stretch-run duel Sunday night between Dirk and Wade was classic
Bird-Magic stuff from another NBA era. Otherwise, the game was a brutal war under the boards, as neither team shot well.
The Mavs were at a disadvantage in this kind of muscle-fest due to the absence of Brendan Haywood, sidelined due to his Game 2 injury. But still, the Mavericks won the board battle, one reason being Nowitzki's tough work underneath (he and Tyson Chandler had 11 rebounds apiece).
Digging out of holes, as Carlisle said, is a hard way to survive in a playoff series. The Mavs did it with the miracle of Game 2.
This time, however, Dirk missed the last shot.
Now, there's another hole for the Mavericks to overcome, starting Tuesday night.
