Dallas Mavericks cool off the Miami Heat - NBA Finals Roundup (Part-2)
Game 2: Dallas Mavericks 95 – Miami Heat 93
The German sharp-shooter, Dirk Nowitzki inflicted a startling meltdown on the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals game 2. The Dallas Mavericks, keyed by an onslaught from Nowitzki, mounted one of the biggest comebacks
in the Finals history and romped to an exhilarating 95-93 win at the American Airlines Arena and tied the series 1-1.
Trailing by 15 points with less than 7 minutes remaining in the final buzzer, Nowitzki surged with back to back layup shots. He then followed with a jumper and 3-point shot. Jason Terry then nailed in two straight as the Mavericks
became the first team to beat Miami at their own building in the play-offs.
Mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle said after an exciting turnaround. "Just hang in. Let's get some stops. Let's give ourselves a chance. Let's put some pressure on them. We really hadn't put any pressure on them at all in two games
to speak of ... but by being solid and getting a couple of stops and scoring, we got some momentum and it worked out."
Both the teams headed out aggressively right from the beginning and the game was tied at the break. Miami’s trio of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh made a surge late in the third period and procured 4 points advantage
before entering the finals 12 minutes. Miami continued to score freely in the preliminary five minutes of the fourth quarter and took a huge 15 points lead capped by a Wade three. However, the Heat went cold after that and Nowitzki’s untiring assail placed
Mavericks on the top.
Game 3: Miami Heat 88 – Dallas Mavericks 86
Playing at the American Airlines Centre, the Miami Heat was lucky enough to survive another scoring rampage from Nowitzki down the stretch as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 88-86 in a hardly fought meeting.
Dwyane Wade was the star of the night for Miami, landing a team-high 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Chris Bosh provided a substantial support with 18 points and saved Miami Heat from a tremendous late charge from the opposition.
On the other hand, Nowitzki was once again the highlight of the night as he erupted with a game-high 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in less than 42 minutes of playing time. The instrumental power forward almost led the Mavericks
to back to back comeback wins.
After wrapping up 5 points advantage in the first half of the game, the Heat amplified the lead to 13 points with the start of the third quarter. The Mavericks showcased an outstanding fight back and managed to cut down the deficit
to three points before entering the fourth period.
Nowitzki was absolutely magnificent in the fourth quarter and scored 15 points of his 34 points in the crunch time. However Miami managed to survive Dirk’s dominating charge and took 2-1 lead in the series.
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