The Miami Heat have jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 2011 NBA Finals with a 92-84 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
While the nature of the game was completely different than the eastern conference finals, the result was similarly low-scoring and all about the physical grind. Dallas’ effective zone worked well against Miami most of the game but in the end, it was no match for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Miami’s two biggest superstars made more than a few major plays down the stretch as the Heat pulled away handily in the final five minutes of Game One. Lebron James finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, Wade with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Bosh had 19 points for the Heat.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 in the loss but was largely contained by the Heat’s defensive effort as Nowitzki went just seven-for-18. It was a Dallas offense that could never gain any significant offensive momentum against the suffocating Miami defense. Jason Terry added 12 points for Dallas in the loss and Shawn Marion added 19.
The game was won in the second half as the Heat outscored Dallas 22-17 in the third and 27-23 in the fourth. And while LeBron James was relatively consistent throughout, Dwayne Wade was having another rough contest until he caught fire in the fourth and showed us all the Dwyane Wade of old that brought home a title to Miami in 2006.
Miami continues to benefit from their game plan of winning close games behind defensively focused efforts. many thought the tables could turn on them in these finals. But — so far so good for the Heat as the defense continued to suffocate, and their stars played like stars down the stretch once again.
Game Two is in Miami on Thursday night.
Leave a Reply