Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat: Superfriends Go For 13th Straight Win

The Dallas Mavericks own the Miami Heat.

At least in the regular season.

Since Dwyane Wade entered the league in 2003, the Heat have beaten the Mavericks only once outside the month of June, a one-point overtime win during Wade's rookie season.

Many of those defeats have been lopsided, with the Heat losing by an average of 12.8 points per game.

Admittedly, Wade missed four of those contests. The games he has been in uniform for have yielded 24.6 points per game.

But not all of these losses have come without consequence.

On February 9, 2006, a 36-point annihilation in Dallas (coupled with Wade's miracle finish against Detroit the following game) helped spark the Heat on a 10-game win streak on their way to the championship against Dallas.

Its current win streak followed a 106-95 loss in Dallas on Nov. 27. This game marked the Heat's fourth loss in five games and led to a player's only meeting and speculation about the team's leadership, both on the bench and on the court.

The 12 games since have quieted most doubters. With a come-from-behind win in Washington Saturday night, the Heat improved to just 1-3 in games decided by three or fewer points.

This glaring stat combined with the Heat's relatively pedestrian schedule during its win streak (only four of its wins came against teams above .500) set this game up as a barometer going forward. It wouldn't simply be a 13th straight win, it would be a solid win over a fellow title contender.

However, even on paper this matchup is intriguing. Dallas and Miami are 21-5 and 21-8, respectively.

The Heat sport a 12-3 record at home with the Mavericks losing just once on the road this season.

Often compared to Larry Bird because of his versatility, Dirk Nowitzki has a chance to pass the legendary forward on the NBA all-time scoring list tonight. He would need a monster game (at least 37 points), but would no doubt love to get it at Miami's expense.