Heat Finally Making a Series of It

On the bright side for the Mavericks, they’re still doing a great job of containing Shaquille O’Neal.

On the dark side, there’s everything else.

While Dallas kept double-teaming O’Neal and held him to 17 points Thursday night, Dwyane Wade broke loose again, going for 36 this time as the Heat stomped the Mavericks, 98-74, to tie the NBA Finals that had seemed to be over so recently, two games to two.

“You’re talking about the team that won Game 7 in San Antonio against the World Champions,” said Dallas Coach Avery Johnson, bristling at a suggestion his team hadn’t recovered from Game 3, in which the Heat rallied from 13 points down in the last 6:34.

“As I’ve said all along, it’s not always what we don’t do. Why can’t you give Miami credit for the way they played ... defense and playing tough-minded and scrapping and ... beating us to the punch?”

There were a lot of things the Mavericks, who seemed to be in control of the Finals so recently, didn’t do Thursday, and a lot of things that the Heat did to them. Dirk Nowitzki (two for 14) and Josh Howard (one for eight) combined to shoot three for 22. As a team, the Mavericks were three for 22 on three-pointers.

The Heat out-rebounded them, 48-36, and held them to 31.6% from the field. The Heat reserves, who had been outscored by the Mavericks bench, 92-30, arose to outscore the Dallas reserves, 23-22.

In another sign this has become a real series, play became more physical and almost became more than that when Dallas’ Jerry Stackhouse knocked 330-pound O’Neal into a row of photographers lining the court on a layup and was called for a flagrant foul.

Looking upset, O’Neal scrambled to his feet as if he intended to do something about it before Wade grabbed him and knocked him down again.

Asked for his impression of the play after the game, O’Neal said, “My impression was my daughter has tackled me harder.”

Asked if he thought the two teams were developing a dislike for each other, Johnson said, “I sure hope so on my team’s part.”

It was a great night in AmericanAirlines Arena, where support is so highly valued, white covers are placed over each of the 20,145 seats before every playoff game as part of the “white hot” theme. A video reminds diners in arena restaurant to get to their seats before the opening tip and the scoreboard TV screens flash a reminder, or order: “CHANT DAV-ID HASSEL-HOFF.”

Hasselhoff, the former TV star, is a personal favorite of Nowitzki and has become the Mavericks’ house celebrity. This is seen as amusing here, where Gloria Estefan, Jimmy Buffett, Dan Marino and Rony Seikaly and a tennis player or two often show up.

O’Neal went to the bench with two fouls four minutes into the game, but with Wade scoring 14 points in the first quarter and 24 by halftime, it didn’t matter.

“I think they said I can’t shoot,” said Wade. “That’s what was said, right? In Game 1. So why would they contest my shots? I can’t shoot.”

It’s true, the Mavericks’ scouting report said Wade was a slasher who will make an occasional jump shot but they may want to rethink that. In the last two games, Wade has made 27 of 49 shots, including three of seven three-point attempts, while scoring 78 points.

Johnson, asked if the Heat had gotten a handle on his defensive scheme, which is focused on O’Neal, not Wade, answered, “Maybe. Maybe they have.

“This is what a series is about and we’ve been double-teaming in a certain way. Maybe they have figured it out.”

With reserve James Posey in Nowitzki’s chest all night and everyone else closing when Nowitzki drove, Dirk spent the night picking himself off the court and putting his mouthpiece back in.

That’s also what a series is about, said Johnson.

“They’re putting a blanket over him and he’s going to have to get that blanket off him,” said Johnson of his star player. “I’ve tried to get a team that really don’t complain, just play.”

Only 48 hours before, the Mavericks had the momentum but things change fast. Now both teams are starting over with Game 5 on Sunday before the series returns to Texas, which seems a long way away.

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Dallas set a record for fewest points in a quarter in an NBA Finals game with seven in the fourth quarter against Miami:

*--* 7 Dallas at Miami, June 15, 2006 9 Utah at Chicago, June 7, 1998 9 New Jersey vs. San Antonio, June 8, 2003 10 New York at San Antonio, June 16, 1999

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