2011 NBA Finals Game Recap: Miami Gets Big Win Despite Timid Play from LeBron

Before we go any further with this discussion, can we please take one second to give credit where it is due?

Even though the Miami Heat won a very important Game 3 victory in Dallas, which cements that it will at least be going home for one more game, by the way, Dirk Nowitzki played out-of-his-mind good.

He deserves all the credit in the world.

Besides missing the last shot that would have tied it up, Nowitzki was on fire in the second half.

It didn’t matter if he was shooting from beyond the arc, in the paint or a fall away against Dwyane Wade. Nowitzki was an absolute beast in Game 3, and let’s give him his credit before all the “experts” come out discussing all the reasons the Mavericks lost.

Really, this was a game that the Mavericks should have won though, but in the end, it came down to two of the “big three” really stepping up big when it mattered most.

It might not be the two that you expected though.

Even though he has been cold shooting the ball lately, going only 7-of-18 from the field, Chris Bosh came up clutch at the end of the game with a jumper that all but solidified Dallas’ fate.

Wade, on the other hand, was in no way cold, and you could argue that he was the fire behind Miami’s heat.

Wade shot 12-of-21 from the field (2-of-4 behind the arc) and scored a team high 29 points. There were times in the game where it seemed that he single-handedly was running over the Mavericks, and at the end of the game he came up with a few clutch plays to seal the deal.

LeBron James, on the other hand, was surprisingly timid when it came to crunch time. He shot 6-of-14 and only 1-of-4 from behind the three-point line. Even though in the first half he seemed to have no problem taking to the hoop, he seemingly lost his confidence in the second and ended up settling for bad shots.

In my eyes, this game was validation that the Miami Heat is very much so Wade’s team, and that probably won’t change as long as he is wearing that uniform.

A lot of hype has been given to James and Bosh coming to the team, and many have heralded James as “becoming a closer” in the Bulls series, but his lack of production and I dare say timid play in the clutch moments of game is still quite unnerving if you are a fan of James.

There will be much discussion and analysis of tonight’s game as well as looking forward to Game 4, so stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all the latest on the 2011 NBA Finals.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports