The Dallas Mavericks overcame an off-shooting night by Dirk Nowitzki, helped by Jason Terry's 27 points, to defeat the Miami Heat 105-95 and capture their first NBA Championship. The Mavericks won the last three games of the series by dominating the fourth quarter. This was another game of runs. Miami, led by LeBron James' nine early points, ran out to a 20-11 lead. Dallas then went on a 21-4 run of their own, helped by two three-pointers by DeShawn Stevenson to take a 40-28 lead. Then Miami scored the next 14 points to take a two-point lead and the battle was on. Dallas took a two-point advantage into the second half and held off Miami the rest of the game.
They extended their lead to 81-72 after three quarters and the Heat never seriously threatened in the fourth. What was the difference in the game and the series? Dallas never faltered in the fourth quarter, tonight included. They shot very well and Jason Kidd ran the offense smartly and efficiently. Dallas executed much better at the end of the games than Miami. The Mavericks shot very well from long distance. Tonight they were 11-for-26 on three's (42%) vs. Miami's 7-for-23 (30%). Dallas's zone defense clogged up the middle for the Miami offense, stopping their penetration and forcing them into outside shots. The Heat shot decently, especially Chris Bosh (7-for-9) from the key, but it wasn't enough. The Mavericks generally took care of the ball well, got back on defense and limited Miami's transition baskets. Tonight Dallas scored 2
No comments:
Post a Comment