NBA Finals 2011: Dallas Mavericks, Not Refs, Blow Opportunity in Pivotal Game 3

You could see it from the start—Dwyane Wade came ready to play in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

After a harrowing collapse in Game 2, the Miami Heat jumped out to an early lead capped by a Mario Chalmers buzzer-beating three-pointer.

After further review, it became clear that the shot should never have counted, as the pass from Chris Bosh to Mario Chalmers should have been ruled a backcourt violation.

In a game decided by two points, many may place the blame for the Dallas Mavericks falling short of yet another amazing comeback on the aforementioned missed call.

But for those who actually watched the game, the real blame falls elsewhere:

On Dirk Nowitzki’s supporting cast, who all but disappeared down the stretch in the fourth quarter; the missed wide-open three-point opportunities throughout the game by J.J. Barea and Jason Kidd or the profusion of turnovers Dallas had while running their pick-and-roll offense.

Despite all of this, Dallas still only lost by two. But how much longer can they expect to hold LeBron James at bay?

The past two games, James has decidedly taken a backseat to Wade, but we can all see what happens when both of these elite forces have the pedal to the metal.

It was evident in the early 14-point lead the Heat took in the first half and the early 8-0 scoring they had at the beginning of the second half.

The Mavericks may look back on Game 3 as a missed opportunity—they may have changed the entire course of this series.

The last 11 times that the NBA Finals entered Game 3 tied up, the team that won Game 3 has gone on to win the series all 11 times.

Maybe it’s due for a change, or maybe the Mavericks just lost themselves the NBA championship.