Roar To those who witnessed the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 95-93, you know what happened, how it happened and who did it.
I can't remember a more frustrating series of basketball than the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.
I also can't remember a better seven minutes than what the Mavericks did to end that game. I had a little league coach tell me that baseball is about catching and throwing. Basketball is about making shots and playing defensive. The Mavericks -- in the purest fashion -- simply did both for seven minutes and it resulted in a run of runs to win the game.
Instead of rehashing and breaking out the thesaurus for hyperbole and adjectives, here are five huge moments that you probably noticed but you don't run a sports blog:
Terry Closes In At End Of Third
The Mavericks were out-everythinged in the third quarter. Name it and the Mavericks did it poorly and the Heat did it well. It looked as if things could get ugly real quick. Up eight (I think) with about a minutes left, Jason Terry hit a jumper (second or third of the game) and then hit a lay-up on a turnover. After a wild Heat mini-possession, the Mavericks went to the huddle after the third quarter down just four points. Granted, it was all for naught once the Heat pulled away in the fourth, but it was very important for the Mavericks to pull together a series of good possessions on both ends. Eventually, those four points would pay huge dividends.
Brian Cardinal Checks Into The Game
The white bench player played a minute. That's it. His time on the court was largely forgettable. The high point came when Mike Bibby nailed a three pointer over him and Cardinal swiped his eye. Cardinal is unimportant as a player as much as he was important as a symbol. It meant that Peja Stojakovic was not coming into the game. This is good. It shows Rick Carlisle can make a move and adjust. It also shows he's not a complete retard. Stojakovic, as far as I can tell, has no business on the court against Heat. They can close out on his on offensive and he can't handle anyone defesively. Outside of a desperation three, I can't see Stojakovic seeing the floor again.
Wade Admires His Shot
I don't begrudge professional players hot dogging it. Dwayne Wade was great all night. At around the 7:40 mark in the fourth quarter, he gets a pass at the far right corner and absolutely drains a three pointer to go up 15 or 17. Wade stands there, his right arm and wrist dangling in the air in front of the Mavericks' bench. Again, I have no problem with this. If you don't want him showing you up, you guard him. Or you go on a 20-2 run. I didn't care about it. The Mavericks seemingly did.
Tyson Chandler Subs For Joe John Barea
It's nice to think the Mavericks needed a wake-up call like Wade's shimmy in front of their bench. Coincidentally or not, the Mavericks went on their big fourth-quarter run when Carlisle subbed Tyson Chandler for Joe John Barea. Now, this wasn't some brilliant tactical move on Carlisle's part. Barea will typically get start of fourth quarter and then get taken out for final push. Still, it was no accident or bit of coincidence that Chandler's presence turned the tide for the Mavericks. Before, Carlisle went with the small line-up against Wade and James and it did not work. Chandler had a fantastic game (he and Marion, especially) and his energy and attitude was very evident in last six minutes.
The Final Shot
A beauty. Dirk gets the ball 22 feet from the basket. Backs down Chris Bosh. The double team wasn't called or never came. Dirk seems to go right, spins left. Here is the key. He pauses for the briefest of seconds. Naturally, Bosh thought Dirk was going to pull up for the patented fadeaway jumper. Instead, Dirk keeps going with his left hand and hits the game-winning lay-up.
