Mavericks beat the Heat, win NBA title
Jason Terry #31 of the Dallas Mavericks pushes the ball up court against Udonis Haslem #40, Chris Bosh #1 and Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat in the second half of Game Six of the 2011 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on June 12, 2011 in Miami, Florida. MIKE EHRMANN/GETTY IMAGES
By Dave Feschuk
Sports Columnist
MIAMI—When the Miami Heat announced their presence last summer, they did so with bombast and brashness, announcing their plans for a dynasty before they’d broken a sweat in a single practice.
When they bowed in the NBA final on Sunday night, perhaps history will remember that they did so without a particularly compelling fight, and with confused looks on their faces for long stretches of the biggest game of their season.
As the Dallas Mavericks celebrated their first NBA championship before a stunned crowd at American Airlines Arena, this after a 105-95 win in Game 6 of the NBA final, the Heat ended one of the most scrutinized years in the history of North American pro sports with a thud that was as dramatic as it was difficult to see coming. The team that famously held a pyrotechnic-fuelled bash before they’d played a game was left to watch an actual victory party on their home floor, the Larry O’Brien Trophy being hoisted by Dirk Nowitzki and his relatively unheralded band of teammates.
The Mavericks won despite a poor shooting night from Nowitzki, who missed 18 of his 27 field-goal attempts before he was handed the Bill Russell Trophy as MVP of the final. But Nowitzki’s shooting struggles — which he helped right with an 18-point second half — were picked up by the brilliant performance of Jason Terry, who scored 27 points off the bench; by J.J. Barea, who added 15 points; and by a swarming Dallas defence that effectively stymied Miami’s Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
For long stretches of the game, not to mention the series, the Heat were reduced to shadows of their reputed selves. Who was the player inhabiting Miami’s jersey No. 6? James, basketball’s self-proclaimed King, played most of Game 6 with all the confidence of a zit-plagued high-school freshman. He finished with a team-high 21 points, mixing in six turnovers with his six assists, but he chose deference on a night when dominance would have been preferred.
Where was the Wade who’d led the Heat to the 2006 title over Nowitzki’s Mavericks with fearless drives and crunch-time dramatics? He missed 10 of his 16 shots and had 17 points. And as for Bosh — he went an efficient 7-for-9 from the field and scored 19 points, but he couldn’t swing the outcome.
“It’s a lot easier said than done,” said Erik Spoelstra, the Miami coach, after it was over. “It could be that this is a rite of passage, but that’s not what we were thinking about . . . I told the guys before the game, ‘Don’t apologize. Don’t apologize for being confident.’ We thought this was going to Game 7, and we thought that’s where we would be our best.”
That the Mavericks didn’t allow the Heat to play another day said a lot about their ability to pick apart a Miami defence that, coming into the final, had flummoxed opponents. Dallas shot 50 per cent from the field in Game 6, including 11 of 26 (42 per cent) from three-point range. And the Mavericks’ defence — especially the zone that appeared to throw the Heat out of rhythm at key points of the game — proved more than good enough.
“They did a great job of, every time I drove, they brought an extra defender in front of me,” James said. “They’re a very underrated defensive team.”
It was a game of runs, and Game 6 began much differently than it ended, especially for James. When he scored nine of the Heat’s first 14 points, he looked aggressive and appeared primed. But then, in a series in which he’d been heavily criticized for his tendency toward passivity, James disappeared for long stretches. He passed up open shots. He forced the occasional drive. More than 10 minutes into the third quarter, he hadn’t taken a second-half attempt from the field. And while he scored seven fourth-quarter points — he’d been averaging 2.2 — it wasn’t enough.
“LeBron has been a lightning rod for a lot of everything — criticism, and a lot of the noise that’s been created outside. I think it’s really unfair,” said Spoelstra. “He made a tremendous sacrifice to come here, and he’s been an ultimate team player. He should not be criticized for that.”
Said Bosh: “They deserved it. Hands down, they were the better team in the series . . . They wanted it more than we did.”
Perhaps the turning point of the best-of-seven came in Game 2. With the Heat up 15 points with about seven minutes to go — with the prospect of a 2-0 series lead looking likely — James and Wade engaged in a premature celebration. Dallas made a memorable comeback to win the game; Spoelstra and his team made a litany of tactical errors on the winning basket by Nowitzki. Emboldened, the Mavericks won three of the next four games.
Said Rick Carlisle, the Dallas coach: “Game 2 was probably the key to the series. If you go down 0-2 it’s very difficult. Miami’s time is going to come . . . But their time is not now. Our time is now.”
Said James: “It hurts, of course, but I’m not going to hang my head low.”
Originally published on thestar.com
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