As exciting as it is to watch Dirk Nowitzki make shot after shot in the NBA finals, the Dallas Mavericks don’t want to keep doing that.

Nowitzki needs help — from someone. Anyone.

The supporting cast that helped carry Nowitzki and the Mavericks into the NBA finals has shriveled under the pressure of this stage, the defense of the Miami Heat or a little of both.

The Mavs trail 2-1 going into Game 4 on Tuesday night mainly because they aren’t scoring enough. Their average of 88.3 points per game is down 11.4 from the previous three rounds.

Nowitzki is contributing 28.3 points, almost exactly his postseason average coming in. The drop-off is everywhere else, especially among the three guys who are supposed to provide instant offense from the bench: Jason Terry, J.J. Barea and Peja Stojakovic.

Terry’s slump hurts the most.

He and Nowitzki were among the league’s top fourth-quarter scoring tandems this season. The Heat threw that off with the surprise move of having 6-foot-8 LeBron James cover the 6-foot-2 Terry. He was shut out in the fourth quarters of Game 1 and 3, the ones Dallas lost.

Terry was a big part of the Mavericks’ winning rally in Game 2, scoring the first six points in a 22-5 surge and eight overall. In Game 3, when Nowitzki scored Dallas’ final 12 points, Terry went 0 for 4 in the fourth quarter, including a 21-footer with the game tied in the final minute.

“Jet (Terry’s nickname) hasn’t really been a crunch-time, clutch player for us the way we need him to,” Nowitzki said Monday. “We have to find a way to get Jet some freedom and get him off some movement, and he’s got to make some shots for us.”

Confidence is never a problem for Terry. This is a guy who got the finals trophy tattooed to his right biceps in October and vows to have it removed if the Mavs don’t win it all. On Monday he vowed that if he again gets the same shots he missed down the stretch in Game 3, “I bet I make them.”

Perhaps tempting fate, Terry also questioned whether James “can defend me like that for seven games” and claimed that first-round foe Portland played better defense than Miami. He also said that if Dallas can score 100 points, “they can’t beat us.”

“I’m going to tell you this: we will be there in Game 4,” Terry said. “I’m ready for the challenge.”

Miami is flustering Dallas with its combination of active, long-armed defenders who seem to always be in the right place at the right time. The Heat are always charging at shooters, making them fire quickly or opt to pass.

Center Tyson Chandler said Miami’s style has made the Mavericks “timid.”

“Because they close out quick, guys second-guess their shots — is this a good shot? Should I drive?” he said. “We just have to make them pay. If we start knocking down shots, it loosens up everything.”

The Heat are giving the Mavs some chances. When two guys are covering Nowitzki, as usually happens, then someone else is open. Those guys are simply missing, perhaps because they’re anticipating a Miami player coming at them so they rush the shot.

“I think we still got a lot of open looks that we could’ve knocked down,” Barea said. “If we’d knocked down a few more, we would’ve won.”

Barea is the backup point guard who usually energizes the Dallas’ offense. He zips around the court, somehow getting to the rim despite being maybe 6 feet in high tops, or dishing to others when the defense swarms him.

But in this series he’s made only 5 of 23 shots, 1 of 8 on 3-pointers. He’s gone from scoring 8.9 pointers per playoff game to 4.3.

“The ball is going to start going down,” Barea said. “I’m going to stay aggressive, play my game, keep doing what brought me here.”

Then there’s Stojakovic.

Dallas signed him around midseason in hopes he could be another weapon off the bench. He got into shape and had some great moments late in the season and early in the postseason, such as going 6 for 6 on 3-pointers when the Mavericks polished off a sweep of the Lakers.

This series, he’s been a lost cause — making only 1 of 5 shots (0 for 4 on 3-pointers) and repeatedly getting beaten on defense. His average has plummeted from 8.8 points to 0.7.

“I think our ability to spread the floor and shoot is a big reason why we made it to the finals,” Nowitzki said. “We just looked at the film. We had some opportunities. … And if we get those opportunities, we got to make the most out of it.”

DALLAS — As exciting as it is to watch Dirk Nowitzki make shot after shot in the NBA finals, the Dallas Mavericks don’t want to keep doing that.

Nowitzki needs help — from someone. Anyone.

The supporting cast that helped carry Nowitzki and the Mavericks into the NBA finals has shrivelled under the pressure of this stage, the defence of the Miami Heat or a little of both.

The Mavs trail 2-1 going into Game 4 on Tuesday night mainly because they aren’t scoring enough. Their average of 88.3 points per game is down 11.4 from the previous three rounds.

Nowitzki is contributing 28.3 points, almost exactly his post-season average coming in. The drop-off is everywhere else, especially among the three guys who are supposed to provide instant offence from the bench: Jason Terry, J.J. Barea and Peja Stojakovic.

Terry’s slump hurts the most.

He and Nowitzki were among the league’s top fourth-quarter scoring tandems this season. The Heat threw that off with the surprise move of having 6-foot-8 LeBron James cover the 6-foot-2 Terry. He was shut out in the fourth quarters of Game 1 and 3, the ones Dallas lost.

Terry was a big part of the Mavericks’ winning rally in Game 2, scoring the first six points in a 22-5 surge and eight overall. In Game 3, when Nowitzki scored Dallas’ final 12 points, Terry went 0 for 4 in the fourth quarter, including a 21-footer with the game tied in the final minute.

“Jet (Terry’s nickname) hasn’t really been a crunch-time, clutch player for us the way we need him to,” Nowitzki said Monday. “We have to find a way to get Jet some freedom and get him off some movement, and he’s got to make some shots for us.”

Confidence is never a problem for Terry. This is a guy who got the finals trophy tattooed to his right biceps in October and vows to have it removed if the Mavs don’t win it all. On Monday he vowed that if he again gets the same shots he missed down the stretch in Game 3, “I bet I make them.”

Perhaps tempting fate, Terry also questioned whether James “can defend me like that for seven games” and claimed that first-round foe Portland played better defence than Miami. He also said that if Dallas can score 100 points, “they can’t beat us.”

“I’m going to tell you this: we will be there in Game 4,” Terry said. “I’m ready for the challenge.”

Miami is flustering Dallas with its combination of active, long-armed defenders who seem to always be in the right place at the right time. The Heat are always charging at shooters, making them fire quickly or opt to pass.

Centre Tyson Chandler said Miami’s style has made the Mavericks “timid.”

“Because they close out quick, guys second-guess their shots — is this a good shot? Should I drive?” he said. “We just have to make them pay. If we start knocking down shots, it loosens up everything.”

The Heat are giving the Mavs some chances. When two guys are covering Nowitzki, as usually happens, then someone else is open. Those guys are simply missing, perhaps because they’re anticipating a Miami player coming at them so they rush the shot.

“I think we still got a lot of open looks that we could’ve knocked down,” Barea said. “If we’d knocked down a few more, we would’ve won.”

Barea is the backup point guard who usually energizes the Dallas’ offence. He zips around the court, somehow getting to the rim despite being maybe 6 feet in high tops, or dishing to others when the defence swarms him.

But in this series he’s made only 5 of 23 shots, 1 of 8 on three-pointers. He’s gone from scoring 8.9 pointers per playoff game to 4.3.

“The ball is going to start going down,” Barea said. “I’m going to stay aggressive, play my game, keep doing what brought me here.”

Then there’s Stojakovic.

Dallas signed him around midseason in hopes he could be another weapon off the bench. He got into shape and had some great moments late in the season and early in the post-season, such as going 6 for 6 on three-pointers when the Mavericks polished off a sweep of the Lakers.

This series, he’s been a lost cause — making only 1 of 5 shots (0 for 4 on three-pointers) and repeatedly getting beaten on defence. His average has plummeted from 8.8 points to 0.7.

“I think our ability to spread the floor and shoot is a big reason why we made it to the finals,” Nowitzki said. “We just looked at the film. We had some opportunities. … And if we get those opportunities, we got to make the most out of it.”

The Associated Press

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

He’s doing it to them again.

Five years later, Dwyane Wade is once again becoming the Dallas Mavericks’ worst nightmare in the NBA Finals. Largely due to favorable matchups, the Heat have turned to DWade late in games to bring it home for them, and he has.

This has predictably led to some pretty awful (and wildly incorrect) assumptions from certain members of the media about Wade’s teammate, LeBron James, but the truth of the matter should be obvious to anyone who has ever watched the NBA for more than 10 minutes: both Wade and James are doing exactly what has been asked of them, which is inching them ever closer to their first title together.

In the NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade has once again taken over the familiar role of team leader both on and off the court.

NBA.com has the quotes:

Wade only got to the line four times on Sunday, but he finished with 29 points on 12-for-21 from the field, hitting two of his four attempts from 3-point range. Before Bosh’s game-winner, Wade had the Heat’s previous three buckets, one off a post-up and two pull-up jumpers (one of them a trey) from the top of the key. “We allowed him to bring us home offensively,” [LeBron] James said.

“He played spectacular basketball,” [Chris] Bosh said of Wade. “He was aggressive and took good shots. We rode the wave for a little while. He set the tone for us.” For the series, Wade is averaging 29.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He’s shooting 57 percent from the field and 6-for-15 from 3-point range. His scoring and free-throw attempts are down from the 2006 Finals (when he averaged 34.7 points), but he’s still the Heat’s go-to guy. And on Sunday, Wade wasn’t just making buckets. He was trying to get his teammates to come along for the ride. “He had every right to say what he said to me,” James admitted. “As a competitor, you love when guys challenge you. He challenged me in the locker room at halftime. He challenged me on the court. As a competitor, like I said, I respect that.” … Wade wanted this game, and he got it. “I’ve been here before,” he said.

The Miami Heat is using a tried-and-tested formula against Dallas in these Finals: play suffocating defense, and let Dwyane Wade carry the offense.

Sounds a lot like 2006, and looks like the Mavs still haven’t figured out how to overcome either obstacle.

(Sports Network) – The scene shifts to north Texas tonight when the Dallas
Mavericks play host to the Miami Heat in the pivotal Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

A remarkable comeback on Thursday in Game 2 has shifted momentum to the Mavs
in the series.

Dirk Nowitzki spun around Chris Bosh and lurched to the basket for a go-ahead
left-handed layup in the final seconds of that one, lifting Dallas to a
thrilling 95-93 victory over Miami.

The Mavs had been staring at a daunting 15-point deficit with six-plus minutes
remaining and an 0-2 series hole when they went on a game-ending 22-5 run to
erase the Heat’s big cushion.

“That’s about as tough a fourth quarter as you can have. When it started to
slide, it just kept going,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

Despite playing with a splint on his left middle finger after tearing a tendon
late in Tuesday’s Game 1, Nowitzki scored the final nine points for his team,
ending with 24 points as Dallas improbably evened the best-of-seven series at
one game apiece with the next three contests set to take place in north Texas.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to watch him play,” TNT analyst and Hall of
Famer Charles Barkley said after watching Dirk fuel yet another unlikely
comeback. “They talk about Champagne and Mercedes Benz [being the greatest
European import to America]. [Dirk] is the greatest European import ever.”

Nowitzki finished 10-of-22 from the floor, including 4-of-7 in the fourth
quarter.

“I played with (Larry) Bird for three years when he was the best player in the
world. Guys like [Bird and Nowitzki] don’t feel pain right now,” said Dallas
head coach Rick Carlisle. “If you’re feeling pain, you make yourself numb so
you don’t feel pain.”

Shawn Marion scored 10 points in each half for Dallas, while Tyson Chandler
added 13 and Jason Terry scored 16 off the bench. Nowitzki also had a game-
high 11 rebounds.

Guarded by the tough-minded Udonis Haslem for much the game, Nowitzki drew
Bosh near the left elbow on Dallas’ final play. Using his 7-foot body to
create space, Nowitzki first looked right, then spun left, leaving Bosh in the
dust. Haslem was late with the weakside help and a Miami crowd that was
celebrating moments earlier was sent out into the night in shock

“He does the move that he always does. He uses his body well,” said Bosh. “I
got caught up in trying to cover his drive, and that’s what he wanted. I just
played bad defense for a couple of seconds, and it cost us two points.”

“We pride ourselves on the defensive end,” added Heat star Dwyane Wade, “and
they were able to break us down.”

Wade, stealing the show for Miami until the final minutes, missed a
long, gliding three-point try at the buzzer with a chance to win the game for
the Heat. He led all scorers with 36 points, scoring 21 of them in the first
half, while LeBron James had 20 points and Bosh 12.

When the Heat do fall, fingers usually point at James and Wade. Miami was up
88-73 with 7:14 remaining when Wade, after two unselfish passes from James and
Mario Chalmers, buried a three-pointer from the right corner.

Wade left his right hand dangling in the air for the whole building to see,
and he celebrated with James in front of the Dallas bench as the Mavs called a
timeout. Some Dallas players said the celebration bothered them.

“There was no celebration at all,” James said. “I was excited that he hit a
big shot and we went up 15.”

“When you blow a big lead you have to do two things wrong: not score and not
stop the other team,” Barkley said. “Let’s take our hats off to the Dallas
Mavericks. It’s like LeBron [James] and Dwyane Wade were playing hero
basketball.”

Carlisle will likely try to temper his team a bit by pointing out that the
Heat have outplayed the Mavs thus far with the exception of some small
stretches.

But one thing is certain, in a tight game, it’s advantage Mavericks thanks to
Nowitzki.

“In this league, you gotta play to the end,” Dirk said. “You can be down 20,
you gotta keep plugging.”

The series is a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, when Wade and the Heat beat
Nowitzki’s Mavericks in six games after falling behind 0-2 in the series. It
was the only other time either franchise made the Finals.

Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday, also in Dallas.

The Sports Network

By David Moore, Dallas Morning News

DALLAS — Shawn Marion has a home in Chicago. Once Dwyane Wade saw it, he bought one close. The two are neighbors.

Who knew Marion would also find himself in the same statistical neighborhood as Miami’s other star through the first two games of The Finals?

LeBron James has more points than Marion, but not as many as you might think. James has just two more assists even though he has the ball in his hands the majority of the time.

Marion holds the edge over James in rebounds, blocked shots and field-goal percentage. He’s even made more trips to the free throw line than the league’s most powerful perimeter presence.

In the category of “outcomes no one envisioned,” this ranks second behind the Heat blowing a 15-point lead in the final 6:20 of a home game to arrive in Dallas with the series tied.

Marion’s rise in the offensive pecking order and his defense on James are positive developments for the Mavericks as they prepare for today’s Game 3.

“He’s been phenomenal taking the challenge on both ends,” Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said.

Nowitzki is the team’s primary scoring threat. Jason Terry is usually the second option. But the nature of Terry’s game, along with the Mavericks unselfish flow offense, means the team’s No. 2 scorer is determined on a rotating basis.

The spin of the dial has landed on Marion lately. Terry has struggled with his shot since the second game of the Western Conference finals. Marion has responded by averaging 17.4 points and shooting 57.3 percent from the field over the last five games.

He’s averaged 18 points in The Finals, which is six points higher than his average this post-season.

“I think Shawn Marion has done a great job, especially offensively,” James said. “He’s picked up his game offensively.”

This is part of the plan. The Mavericks want to reduce the ability of James and Wade to roam defensively. The best way to do that is to have Marion attack the basket and force Miami’s defense to account for him.

“He’s been cutting for us, he’s been posting up,” Nowitzki said. “He’s been getting offensive rebounds, put-backs.

“He looks really comfortable right now. He’s got a bounce in his step, and it’s fun to watch.”

DeShawn Stevenson opens the game on James, but Marion has actually spent more time on him. The Mavericks forward has worked hard to keep James out of transition and off the free throw line. He fights over the top of screens on pick-and-rolls and tries to obstruct James’ line of vision.

“A lot of his fouls come in transition,” Marion said. “I’m able to get back and stop him from doing that. In the halfcourt, I’m able to get in front of him and contest his shot without fouling.

“It’s just been good, solid defense and me moving my feet and staying down.”

Nearly 40 percent of the shots James has taken in this series have come from 3-point range. Why so many?

“A few of them are open,” Marion said. “A lot he took last game were at the end of the shot clock. He had no choice but to hoist it because I wouldn’t give him a look at anything else.”

Marion’s decision to poke the two-time MVP with this verbal stick is questionable. But there are no questions about his performance on offense and defense so far in this series.

“I’ve always prided myself on playing both ends of the floor,” Marion said. “I thrive on competing. I feel I can do just about anything I want to do out on that floor.

“It’s about getting opportunities.”

Marion has made the most of these opportunities.

He’s put himself in a pretty good neighborhood.