Miami Heat: Game 3's Victory May Mark the End of Series
With last night's 88-86 victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, one thing is for sure: Miami has recaptured the momentum.
Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki took over Game 2 in Miami as they headed back home with the series tied. But Dirk's late attempt to tie the game, with Udonis Haslem tightly covering, fell just short as his shot bounced off the back of the rim with time expiring.
Lebron James has certainly made headlines today with just 9 points in the fourth quarter of play against Dallas. Some have even gone as far as saying that Lebron is "fading" or "failing" when it comes to the last quarter in the NBA Finals.
I have seen no sign of that, as Lebron's superb defense and ability to share the ball has made up for his lack of points-scoring. In the fourth quarter along last night, LBJ recorded four assists.
But what I have noticed is that this is still Dwyane Wade's team, and it will continue to be his team until the day he no longer dons the Red and White (or black) jerseys in South Beach.
It seems people tend to forget that Wade, with the help of the recently retired NBA great Shaquille O'Neal, has already brought a championship to Miami, back in 2006. Against, wait for it..Dirk's Dallas Mavericks. In fact, they won four straight games to clinch the title after falling behind 2-0.
Wade's individual achievements in terms of points per game, rebounds, assists, blocks, etc. may not be quite up to par with that of James, but the 29-year old Wade has shown he has what it takes to win the games that matter most. With the help of Lebron and Chris Bosh, it looks as though Wade could, and likely will, win a couple more championships.
With his two-point, 20-foot jumper to take the lead late in the game last night (Chris Bosh hit the 16-foot jumper to put them up for good less than two minutes later), Wade further proved he is the deciding "clutch" factor for the Heat, not Lebron.
We mustn't forget, of course, that James (practically on his own) took the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Finals a couple of years back. Though he failed to bring Cleveland back a championship, he, too, has proved he can win games when it matters most.
James' ability to put the ball in the hoop, and Wade's knack for hitting the late jumper to give his Heat the edge are far more than the Dallas Mavs' can boast at this particular point in the series. As hard as it is for fans outside of Miami to admit this, the Heat will be the team to beat in the East for years to come.
Dirk, down just one game, has already shown signs of frustration and desperation by calling out teammate Jason Terry, saying he hasn't really been all that "clutch" lately. Maybe the Mavs aren't the team of destiny here in 2011.
Despite out-rebounding the Heat in Game 3 (42-36) and Dirk putting up a double-double (34 points, 11 boards), Dallas failed to take advantage of its home-court and lost the series' momentum. Game 4 is an absolute must-win for Mark Cuban's Mavericks.
Heat will win series 4-2. Clutch Wade hits another late jumper to seal the game.
