Miami Heat successfully stifle Dirk Nowitzki in game-1 of NBA Finals
“We will have several guys guard him by necessity and because that is who we are. And great players require that.”
That was how Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra responded when he was asked as to how his team will defend Dirk Nowitzki in the game-1 of the NBA Finals. And on Tuesday night, the men from the South Beach did exactly what their coach
had asked them to do. They choked the life out of the Dallas Mavericks sharp-shooter and the best power forward in the league, Dirk Nowitzki.
The Heat came up with different defensive looks, shuffled their combinations around Nowitzki and vehemently contested his shots, never allowing him a clear look at the rim. They made the big man work for every point, he earned
on the night.
In the first six minutes of the opening quarter, the Heat sent four different players to guard Nowitzki. Initially, Miami attacked Nowitzki with their 6-foot-9 Joel Anthony, whose main job in the team is to infuse hustle in the
defence. Forward LeBron James came forward to guard the seven-foot shooter next. Dwyane Wade handled the Big Dirk for some time and then passed the responsibility to Chris Bosh, who stepped in to carry the crucial task. The result was that Nowitzki never settled
in his zone and was limited to just four points in the first quarter.
The Heat backup forward Udonis Haslem, who fantastically guarded Nowitzki in the 2005-06 NBA Finals, took his turn on the seven-footer in the second quarter. The 30-year-old got physical with Nowitzki throughout the quarter and
did not provide him any open looks at the basket. With Haslem around him all the time, Nowitzki missed three easy shots and committed two turnovers in the frame. Haslem played a vital role in limiting Nowitzki to 39 percent shooting and lived up to his reputation
of "the Dirk stopper".
Nowitzki, who was the biggest threat for Miami until yesterday, went scoreless from the field for 18 minutes and 39 seconds in the first half of the game.
Miami kept on making things difficult for Nowitzki in the third quarter, guarding him from every possible angle. Nowitzki was able to score just four points in the third, missing few shots and committing three fouls.
The Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged the tough defensive game plan of the Heat against his leading player and said, "Every team we have played is very aggressive on him.” "He is a unique player. He has to be denied the
ball virtually all the time. Haslem is a guy who has the wherewithal to do that, and they're going to play him aggressively, and we know that. … We've got to keep giving him opportunities to create."
The Heat were terrific against the Mavericks in the fourth quarter, like the way they were against the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conferences finals. Not only did they stall the Mavs on the back court, Miami also disturbed Dallas’s
offensive combination by landing their players into foul trouble, forcing Rick Carlisle into making substitutions
The Heat successfully handled Nowitzki with their impressive defence, limiting him to a playoffs low 7-for-18 from the field. The veteran All-Star ended with just 27 points as the Heat walked away with a 92-84 victory in the first
game of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.
Spoelstra praised the defensive play of his team down the stretch and said, “We were able to get some defensive stops there at the end to create some distance.”
The Heat, who entered the series knowing they have to stop Nowitzki to fulfil their championship dream, made all the right moves on the night. They did not allow Nowitzki to explode at any point in the game.
Now, the onus is on Nowitzki to break the shackles, muck like he has done in most of the games in the playoffs. Dirk is the only one in the Mavs colours who can challenge the might of the Miami’s Big Three. If he does not figure
out a way quickly, it can all be over very soon for the Mavs.
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