Miami Looking to Heal at Home

They’re still playing in the NBA Finals, though maybe not for much longer.

The Dallas Mavericks overwhelmed the Miami Heat while taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series that resumes tonight with Game 3 at AmericanAirlines Arena, and things are falling into place for Dallas to win its first title.

It seems the Heat is falling apart.

Unable to keep pace with its up-tempo opponent, Miami players have appeared confused and frustrated, especially All-Star center Shaquille O’Neal, coming off his worst performance in 190 postseason games.

And as if Coach Pat Riley didn’t have enough problems, Miami is fighting history as well as Dallas.

In the previous 59 Finals, only the Boston Celtics in 1969 and Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 overcame 2-0 deficits to win titles. Since the NBA adopted a 2-3-2 Finals format in 1985, the previous nine teams that won Games 1 and 2 on their home courts won the series.

The Mavericks are in a good spot, and the Heat is running out of time.

“They did what they were supposed to do; won two at home,” Miami All-Star guard Dwyane Wade said. “We have to go take care of our home, use our crowd to get our energy up, but we have to play a lot better on both ends of the floor.”

Almost anything would be an improvement at this point.

Miami finished poorly in a 90-80 loss in Game 1, and was ineffective Sunday throughout a 99-85 defeat in Game 2.

Blown defensive assignments, missed uncontested shots and poor decision-making hurt the Heat, but O’Neal’s drop in production is Riley’s biggest concern.

A three-time Finals MVP with the Lakers, O’Neal took only 11 shots in Game 1 and five in Game 2, when he scored a playoff-career-low five points. He’s averaging 11 points and 6.5 rebounds in the series. Mavericks backup center Erick Dampier had six points and 13 rebounds Sunday.

“Yes, we need to get him the basketball,” Riley said of O’Neal. “Obviously, we have to go to work on that the next couple of days.”

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson would agree.

“They can’t get the ball to Shaq on the move; he’s getting the ball flat-footed,” Jackson said during his weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio. “Then they’re double-teaming him from different directions and he’s outscored by a nemesis, a guy who is the self-proclaimed second-best center in the league in Erick Dampier.

“That’s got to really make Shaquille very unhappy ... that he couldn’t perform or have a better game than that in Game 2. If he gets the ball on the move either in the fast break or in a static offense, he’s a 65% or better shooter. Miami has to find out how they are going to get that accomplished.”

The Mavericks increased their double-team efforts in Game 2, prompting O’Neal to pass more, but teammates failed to capitalize, shooting 41.4% from the field.

Wade also hasn’t played up to his high standards.

He missed 13 of 19 field-goal attempts in Game 2 and is shooting 38.6% in the series. The three-year veteran shot 61.7% in the Eastern Conference finals.

“He’s a great student of the game,” Riley said. “They are doing some things that I think we can learn from.

“But they know who to stay home on and they know who to leave open. Who is going to be stepping up and making shots on double-teams?”

Dallas is shooting 46.5%, All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki has continued to set the tone and the bench has been productive.

Reserve guard Jerry Stackhouse scored 19 points in Game 2, making four three-pointers and also having one of Dallas’ two four-point plays.

“That’s our guy, our sixth man of the year,” Mavericks forward Josh Howard said. “Our bench play has been awesome.”

Depth, versatility and balance on offense have helped the Mavericks become the 193rd team in NBA playoff history to take a 2-0 lead. Teams in that situation have won 182 series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, but the Mavericks said they wouldn’t take anything for granted.

“Well, obviously, we’ve got to stay focused,” Nowitzki said. “We haven’t really done anything, we won two games at home. We know they are a different animal at home. Obviously, they are going to be fired up.”

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An X-ray revealed Heat power forward Udonis Haslem has a strained left shoulder. Haslem, who suffered the injury in the second quarter of Game 2, said he expected to play tonight. He has started all 18 playoff games.

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BY THE NUMBERS

A look at Shaquille O’Neal’s averages in the NBA Finals (through two games in 2006):

1995

*--* TEAM PPG REB OPPONENT ORLANDO 28.0 12.7 Houston

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2000-2002

*--* TEAM PPG REB OPPONENT LAKERS 38.0 16.7 Indiana LAKERS 33.0 15.8 Philadelphia LAKERS 36.3 12.3 New Jersey

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2004

*--* TEAM PPG REB OPPONENT LAKERS 26.6 10.8 Detroit

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2006

*--* TEAM PPG REB OPPONENT MIAMI 11.0 6.5 Dallas

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