NBA Finals 2011 Live Blog: Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 5 Coverage

For tonight's live blog, we feature Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.

After another late game collapse by the Miami Heat in Game 4, the Mavericks were able to knot up the series at two games apiece with an 86-83 victory.

The big headline of the game was the disappearance of Miami superstar LeBron James, who had an uncharacteristic eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Despite his subpar game, the Heat had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, but Mike Miller air balled a three-pointer that would have sent the game into overtime.

Despite a 101-plus fever, Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks to the victory with 21 points, 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter.

Dwyane Wade continued his MVP-caliber ball, leading the Heat once again with 32 points.

Miami will need Wade's best ball, as well as a rebound game from James, if they are going to want to return home with a 3-2 series lead.

So, the Finals becomes a best-of-three series as Dallas plays its final home game of the year. Without further ado, here is the live blog for Game 5.