LeBron James still looks back, but only fleetingly.

Instead, his primary focus is on bigger and better things for himself and his team.

Speaking Monday in his native Akron, Ohio, where he was hosting his annual charity bicycle event, the Miami Heat forward briefly reflected on his team’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, while also expressing optimism amid the NBA lockout that there would be a 2011-12 season for redemption.

He also spoke of a new, Hall of Fame training partner.

“Right now,” he said, “I’ve just been focusing on getting better, working on my game every single day. The Dallas Mavericks were a great team and they deserved to win that championship. It’s just more motivation coming into this season.”

That motivation drove him to spend time this summer with former Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon, working on his post play. The Hall of Fame center also has worked this summer with Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard on that facet.

“You always want to be victorious,” James said, “but when you’re not victorious, it’s about how you bounce back.”

The issue of post play has been a touchy one for James over his eight-season career. He proved proficient in such a role when Heat teammate Chris Bosh was briefly sidelined at midseason, but then drifted back to the perimeter, as had also been the case during his first seven NBA seasons, with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I’m in bounce-back mode,” he said, “and I’ve dedicated this offseason to myself being a better basketball player.”

While other star players have spoken of possibly playing overseas amid the lockout, James said he is optimistic there will be NBA basketball at some point over the coming year, perhaps even on schedule.

“I’m very passionate about the game of basketball and I’ve been working toward the upcoming season,” he said. “I’m very optimistic about (union leader) Billy Hunter and the owners getting a deal done. I love the game that much, so that’s my focus right now.

“My focus is having a training camp next month at the end of the month and getting ready to go.”

Before that, there is a nine-day trip to China that begins this week, with teammate Dwyane Wade having just returned from China.

Wade, Bosh and James were teammates during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and James told the Associated Press that he is hopeful of participating in the 2012 London Games.

Monday, though, was about his hometown and setting up youth for a brighter future, pledging academic support to 360 area third-graders through their high-school years.

“Every 26 seconds a kid drops out of high school. To be able to shed light on a statistic like that, I’m all for it,” he said. “It’s only important to you if you have a love for it. If an athlete has a love for it and he wants to give back, he should do it. If not, it’s not going to look authentic and you shouldn’t do it.

“But I really care and being an inner-city kid who didn’t have much and lived off a dream and had people help him get to that dream, it’s just natural for me.”

iwinderman@tribune.com. Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat

Doubters of the Dallas Mavericks have always looked to their NBA Finals matchup against the Miami Heat with two numbers in mind: 3 versus 1. Miami’s “big three” of lightning-quick, pinpoint shooting scorers, versus Dallas’s prodigious seven-foot German forward, Dirk Nowitzki.

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However, after five games, the veteran Mavericks have confounded critics and established a reputation for hard-fought comebacks and clutch wins. This was once again the case in Game 5 Thursday night in Dallas, where the Mavericks ended the fourth period on a 17-4 scoring run that gave them their largest winning margin (9 points) of the Finals, 112-103.

And apparently, those who have dismissed the Mavericks as too slow in transition and too reliant on one player’s performance have missed where Dallas has had back-to-back games getting five players scoring in double figures. The Mavericks have distributed the ball well and, in addition to Nowitzki’s gutsy play, have gotten some outstanding performances inside by Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler as well as clutch scoring outside by Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea.

Defensively, Dallas has allowed Miami only 91.8 points per game so far, which is over four points below their season average of 96.1. For a team that in the playoffs routinely scored and allowed over 100 points per game and was widely thought to wither in the face of Miami’s sixth-rated NBA defense, Dallas has themselves become incredibly stingy in that area.

After a few games of mixed results from beyond the arc, the Mavericks managed 68.4 percent (13-for-19) from 3-point distance – which offset a 36-26 rebounding deficit. Six Dallas players had at least one three-pointer, led by J.J. Barea (4-for-5), Terry (3-for-5) and Kidd (3-for-5).

Once again, Miami’s perimeter offense went cold as ice when it counted most. With four and a half minutes remaining in the game, Miami went up 99-95, but LeBron James scored their next points with only a half-minute remaining. And that was his only bucket of the entire fourth period.

Although James had a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the game, his shooting trouble has persisted. He was only 8-for-19 from the field, including 0-for-4 behind the three-point line. During the three games played in Dallas, James has shot just 38.6 percent from the field (17-for-44) and 1-for-11 from 3-point range.

Chris Bosh added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Dwyane Wade was high scorer with 23. But once again, turnovers spelled trouble for the Heat, particularly down the stretch. They had 16 giveaways versus Dallas’s 11, which contributed directly to 21 Maverick points and completely erased the Heat’s advantage on the boards. Miami’s “big three” committed 12 of those turnovers, and they negated a strong 40-point output by Miami’s bench, led by Mario Chalmers (15 points) and Udonis Haslem’s 10.

On the other side of the ball, Dallas’ ball-handlers, Terry, Kidd and Barea, scored a combined 51 points, versus only 6 turnovers. This is the second consecutive game Dallas coach Rick Carlisle has started J.J. Barea over DeShawn Stevenson, and it’s been paying strong dividends. Also, for the second consecutive game, Carlisle has strategically inserted muscular forward Brian Cardinal to soften up the Miami interior. This has also proved to be a successful strategy.

The series now shifts to Miami on Sunday night, where the biggest question of all in Game 6 is which LeBron James will show up – the two-time NBA MVP, or the relatively lackluster version of the past few games? James himself called Game 5 “now or never;” but the Mavericks have to be aware in the back of their minds that there’s at least one more game to be played and that James is always a threat to break out in the clutch.

Nowitzki, who led all Dallas scorers with 29 points in Game 5, was stoical about the return to South Beach: “… Now we have to go down there and basically approach Sunday’s game as Game 7.”

Game 6 will be broadcast on ABC this coming Sunday night, 8 p.m., Eastern time.

By
Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 9:31 AM on 10th June 2011

The Dallas Mavericks are on the brink of winning their first-ever NBA crown after a storming late run earned a  112-103 victory over the Miami Heat in Game Five.

With a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, Dallas can claim the title by winning one of the two remaining contests, but they will have to complete the feat in Miami where the teams split the opening two games.

The Mavericks went on a 15-3 run to finish off the Heat, turning a three-point deficit into the comfortable victory amid chants of ‘Beat the Heat’ from a boisterous 20,433 crowd.

In your face: Dirk Nowitzki (No 41) slam dunks during another fine shift for the Mavericks

‘That was a big win for us, obviously,’ said Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki after scoring 29 points.

‘We didn’t want to go to Miami and give them basically two shots to close us out. So we kept plugging there in the fourth. And now we have to go down there and basically approach Sunday’s game as Game Seven. You don’t want to give this great team any hope.’

Sharp-shooting guard Jason Terry had a pair of three-pointers during the game-ending run, finishing with 21 points on eight-of-12 shooting and adding six assists.

Dallas shot 57 per cent, including 13 of 19 from beyond the arc.

Threesy does it: Jason Terry celebrates after nailing one from outside the arc late in the game

‘All season long, ever since I’ve been a Maverick, I’ve been the guy in the fourth quarter they depended on to either make plays or make shots,’ said Terry.

‘So I really relish that role. Regardless of what’s going on throughout three quarters of the game, in the fourth quarter I know I’m depended on to come through. Thank God I was able to do that again.’

LeBron James disappeared once again in the fourth quarter, tallying only two points.

The former NBA scoring champion and two-times MVP has now amassed a combined 11 points in the final quarter of the entire series.

James was blanked in the final frame of Tuesday’s 86-83 Mavericks victory, and while he was more aggressive on Thursday, he had similar results.

Fan-tastic: Nowitzki leaves the court a hero after the Mavericks’ win over the Heat in Game Five

‘We as a team, we played good enough to win again,’ said James, who scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Put ourself in position to win down the stretch. Guys made plays. They just made a few more than we did. That’s what it came down to.’

Dwyane Wade had 23 for the Heat, scoring 10 in the final quarter, while Chris Bosh added 19.

Wade bruised his hip in the opening quarter when he collided with Brian Cardinal of the Mavericks. He went to the locker room but returned shortly after and played 34 minutes.

‘It was unfortunate I had to leave the game,’ said Wade. ‘But I came back and I finished it. Once you’re on the court, you’re on the court. I don’t have no excuses.

‘I was able to help my team get an opportunity to win. And I’ll be fine Sunday.’

Glamour game: The Dallas Mavericks cheerleaders helped lift the spirits during a fourth-quarter timeout

Dallas shot 56.5 per cent from the floor but were outrebounded 36-26 by a Miami team that committed 16 turnovers on the way to registering consecutive losses for the first time this post-season.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said Terry took on the responsibility of team leader when the Mavericks’ best player, Nowitzki, was on the bench.

‘He played great, and during periods where Dirk was out of the game we were going to him and he was delivering,’ Carlisle said.

‘Those are tough minutes for us because it’s hard when Dirk is out of the game. But it’s the total game we’ve all been preaching to Jet (Terry) since the play-offs began and he did a terrific job.’

Terry does not want the series to go to a Game Seven and added: ‘We want to get this first one.’

Gutted: Miami pair LeBron James and Dwayne Wade can’t hide their disappointment as Dallas storm back

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer

DALLAS (AP) – Those LeBron James dunks sure look great on highlight shows and commercials. They make good posters, too.

The Dallas Mavericks are getting sick of them.

The Mavericks’ turnovers are making it easy for James and the Miami Heat, something they know they have to clean up for any chance to win the NBA title.

“We have to eliminate a couple of the turnovers that lead to the quick points,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s extremely difficult when you’re watching James go down the court and dunk the ball with his head over the rim. That makes it tough to win.”

Problem is, Dirk Nowitzki admits the turnovers won’t really stop against a Heat team that’s so good at forcing them.

“It’s just going to happen. They’re so fast, long, athletic,” Nowitzki said. “They do a good job swarming the ball once we put it down. We’re going to turn it over some. I already thought we cut it down from Game 2 to this one, so hopefully in Game 4 we can cut down a couple more and we’ll be OK.”

Nowitzki committed the last, and most costly of the miscues, a pass out of bounds with 30 seconds left in the Heat’s 88-86 victory Sunday in Game 3. And when searching for reasons for their 2-1 deficit, the Mavericks know exactly where to start.

“We have to take care of the ball against this team,” point guard Jason Kidd said. “Make or miss shots, you can’t just give these guys easy layups on the other end. That’s what they’re doing to us right now.”

Nowitzki, perhaps the dominant offensive player this postseason, had carried the Mavs again over the final 6 minutes, scoring their last 12 points to tie it at 86 with 1:40 remaining.

But after Chris Bosh’s jumper with 39 seconds left, Nowitzki got the ball near the top of the key but saw his lane close down, so he tried to pass to Shawn Marion along the sideline. He was off balance and the ball soared into the seats with 30 seconds to go.

Nowitzki said he wanted to shoot it, but saw Dwyane Wade coming over and didn’t think he’d be able to get a good attempt off. Nowitzki said he saw Marion but his teammate left the corner, calling the play a “miscommunication.”

Given a last attempt after James’ missed 3-pointer, Nowitzki did shoot it on the final possession, but he was well defended by Udonis Haslem and the shot bounced off the rim just before the buzzer.

The Mavs know they are at a disadvantage physically against the Heat’s athletes, which makes their execution even more important. When the game gets into the full court, the Heat can beat the older Mavs players down the floor.

“We’ve got to eliminate a couple of the turnovers that lead to quick points,” Carlisle said.

Miami frequently capitalized when Dallas did mess up, such as late in the first quarter. The Mavericks should have had the last shot of the period and would have at most been down four points. Instead, J.J. Barea’s pass went out of bounds with 3.5 seconds left and the Heat hurried up the floor to get Mario Chalmers’ 36-foot heave for a 29-22 lead.

Carlisle said the Heat were the best team in the league during the regular season in converting steals into points. Dallas had six turnovers at halftime, but Miami scored 14 points off them, which Carlisle called “an inordinate number.”

“So it’s a good example of the importance of taking care of the ball,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle talked about the difficulty of playing from behind, and the way watching James soar for dunks his players created can become demoralizing. He said the Mavs had “one or two untimely turnovers” – but that’s all it takes to swing a game that was decided by two points.

Miami got 31 points off turnovers in Game 2, and Dallas was only able to rally in that game because it protected the ball down the stretch and turned it into a half-court contest, and the Heat kept missing jumpers.

But the Mavs would make things much easier on themselves if they didn’t spot the Heat so many free points, and force themselves to rely on comebacks.

“The big thing is we have had spots of turning the ball over and giving them opportunities,” Kidd said. “So we have to take care of the ball.”

Barea turned it over four times in 19 minutes off the bench Sunday, perhaps as damaging as his 2 for 8 shooting. Kidd also had four turnovers.

“Our overall game’s got to be better,” Carlisle said.

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

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