« Birthday parties | Main | It's the little things »
Heat had to have it
June 14, 2006Miami is back and breathing in the NBA Finals, but a lot of things had to go their way to do it.
One, Dwyane Wade had a 42-point game. His chances of doing that on Thursday aren't good.
Shaq made key free throws. We all know that's rare.
Dirk missed a clutch free throws. Even more rare.
Dan Crawford officiated.
Officiating didn't decide the game, but it helped the team that was behind. And Dallas is 1-11 in games called by Dan Crawford in the playoffs. That's a wierd stat.
From the Dallas point-of-view, it's a shame to waste a great game by Erick Dampier and a good shooting night from Josh Howard.
From Miami's perspective, it's about time Wade showed up as a superstar. The Mavs helped him by running at his jump shot and giving him driving lanes. Wade did his part with some brilliant finishes.
But it still took a Gary Payton jumper and Dirk missed free throw and missed call on Udonis Haslem's steal from Dirk. The stars won't align like that every night for Miami, which needs to win both Thursday and Sunday to have a chance to win this series.
The best line I saw on the wire Tuesday night was from the Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko "It’s amazing how fast a stranglehold can turn into a gag."
That gag by Dallas gave the Heat some life and the NBA some more network TV money.
Posted by Andy Newberry at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
