NBA’s Biggest Stage Is Set

They say everything is bigger in these parts, and it appears the Miami Heat faces a Texas-sized challenge against the Dallas Mavericks tonight in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The Heat overcame obstacles to win the Eastern Conference but now must contend with its Western Conference counterparts, who are considered more versatile and have home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

Although it appears the Heat isn’t the same bunch the Mavericks routed by 13 and 36 points in two regular-season games, Miami still might have too much to juggle in a matchup of first-time Finals participants.

But that’s not how the Heat players viewed things, saying they expect to have a good time ‘round here.

“We’ve been getting doubted all year, this isn’t anything new for us, so that just basically means there’s no pressure,” Miami center Shaquille O’Neal said. “That’s the good thing about being the underdog ... but it’s going to be a fun, fun series.”

The Mavericks earned top billing because of their long list of accomplishments, including finishing with the NBA’s third-best record, eliminating the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals and defeating the high-scoring Phoenix Suns to qualify for the Finals.

Dallas is united behind defense-minded Coach Avery Johnson and All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki -- who emerged as a take-charge leader in the team’s stirring postseason run -- and is enjoying its newfound status.

“Well, this is the biggest stage there is,” Nowitzki said. “Just walking around the court today, and seeing the court surrounded by so many people, it’s obviously a fun situation to be in. It’s an exciting time. It’s probably the most exciting time of my life.”

Containing O’Neal could help the Mavericks keep the good times rolling.

At 34, O’Neal acknowledges he isn’t the force he was while leading the Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles from 2000 to 2002.

The three-time Finals most valuable player, however, still played a key role in Miami’s six-game victory over the Detroit Pistons in the previous round, averaging 21.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.33 blocked shots while shooting 65.5% from the field.

“He was looking younger and younger every game that series,” Dallas center DeSagana Diop said. “He looked real good. Hopefully, he’ll look older this series.”

The Mavericks are expected to use multiple double-team schemes against O’Neal, who had career averages of 32.6 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and shot 60.1% from the field (the highest in NBA history) in his first five Finals appearances with the Lakers and Orlando Magic.

The Mavericks hope centers Diop, Erick Dampier and DJ Mbenga (suspended for the first four games of the series) can provide enough muscle to slow down O’Neal.

“Nobody in the whole world can play Shaq one-on-one” and be successful, Diop said. “We’re going to have to have double-teams. We have to do whatever we’ve got to do to get the ball out of his hands.”

Johnson might use a smaller lineup to increase the pace in an attempt to reduce O’Neal’s post-up opportunities. The Mavericks had success using the 7-foot Nowitzki at center against San Antonio, but “we’re not going to run [O’Neal] off the floor,” Mavericks assistant coach and scout Paul Mokeski said. “You know that’s not going to happen, so you’ve got to keep focused on what you have to do and just don’t get discouraged if he dunks on you.”

Of course, the Heat isn’t a one-man All-Star show. It’s a two-man All-Star show, and guard Dwyane Wade’s ascent has continued in the playoffs.

In the Heat’s 17 games, the three-year veteran is averaging 26.2 points, 6.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds. Slowed because of a sinus infection and flu-like symptoms recently, Wade said he felt better Wednesday and would be ready to play tonight.

O’Neal and Wade helped Miami get it together after a slow start this season, and Coach Pat Riley is an old hand at this stuff, having led the Showtime Lakers to four titles in the 1980s and the New York Knicks to a Finals appearance in 1994. The Mavericks could have their hands full as well.

“Over time, you know what to do, what not to do, what not to fret about, what counts and what doesn’t count,” Riley said. “You have to go with what it is that you have, and what got you here, hope that you do it at a real high level.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Keys to Finals

Mike Bresnahan’s keys to NBA Finals for Miami and Dallas:

MIAMI

* 1. Pound the ball down low: With Ben Wallace and Detroit out of the way, the Heat will find the middle much less clogged. Dallas will try to stop Shaquille O’Neal with DeSagana Diop, a slowly improving defensive center, and Erick Dampier, who has underachieved since signing a seven-year, $73-million contract two years ago. In other words, O’Neal should have plenty of opportunities to score.

* 2. Defend Dirk: Nowitzki, the five-time All-Star, ramped up another level with his 50-point effort in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, single-handedly outscoring Phoenix in the fourth quarter, 22-20. A fluid 7-footer who can dribble with ease and hit from outside, Nowitzki could present a serious matchup problem for Miami, which will probably try guarding him with power forward Udonis Haslem.

* 3. Get the old guys going: This is the chance for Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning -- with a combined 39 years in the NBA -- to finally win a championship. All three will play key roles -- Walker as a starter, Payton as the first guard off the bench and Mourning as O’Neal’s backup.

*

DALLAS

* 1. Forget about Phoenix: The Mavericks scrapped their usual game plan to beat Phoenix, going with smaller lineups to match pace with the run-and-gun Suns. They now face the much more physical Heat, which has O’Neal and Mourning at center instead of 6-foot-8 Boris Diaw.

* 2. Act like you’ve been there before: The Mavericks have never been this far in their 26-year history. They’ve shown signs of composure by closing out their first three playoff series with road victories, including a memorable Game 7 overtime win in San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals. The Heat, however, owns an overwhelming experience advantage, with O’Neal, Payton and Mourning combining for 419 career playoff games.

* 3. Keep riding Josh Howard: It’s one of the more intriguing stats of the season: When Howard scores 20 or more points, the Mavericks are 25-0. The small forward, who averaged 19.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in the Western Conference finals, has established himself as one of the top up-and-comers at his position. His defense is also a plus, and he will probably draw Dwyane Wade as his assignment.