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NBA 2011 Finals Game 4 Heat vs Mavericks HDTV XviD FQM

The Miami Heat's "All Star Trio" kept the American Airlines Center crowd from energizing the Dallas Mavericks to start Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Finals. Led by LeBron James(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes) (who both scored eight points in the opening quarter), Miami opened the game aggressively on both sides of the floor. Offensively, the Heat attacked the rim and made an array of layups and dunks. Defensively, they protected the paint and forced the Mavericks to shoot all but three of their first quarter shot attempts from outside the key. Miami's aggressive start helped them quiet the Dallas crowd and pushed them to a 29-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Dallas outscored the Heat in each of the three remaining quarters, but their lethargic start was too much for them to overcome, and the Mavericks succumbed to the Heat 88-86. Dallas played from behind from the first quarter on. Every time the Mavericks made a run at Miami, the Heat responded. During the final 36 minutes of the game, Dallas held the lead just once, 59-58, at the 3:11 mark of the third quarter. Twenty-seven seconds later, LeBron James hit a three-point jumper to make it 61-59 and the Mavericks trailed yet again.

Dallas continued to battle and tied the game at 86 with less than a minute remaining. On the ensuing possession, Chris Bosh(notes) made a 16-foot jumper and gave the Heat the lead for good. In the final half minute, the Mavericks had two opportunities to tie the score. One possession resulted in a Dirk Nowitzki(notes) turnover. Thenafter James missed a 25-foot three-pointer, Dallas got the ball back with four seconds remaining on the clock. After a Mavericks timeout, the ball went to Dirk as expected. But this time, Nowitzki, the hero of Game 2, was unable to save the Mavericks, and his shot bounced off the back iron as time expired.

Those final two possessions illustrate the problems the Mavericks have had all series long. Turnovers and missed shots have been Dallas' Achilles heel, and until they stop turning the ball over and start making some shots, the Mavericks will have a difficult time overcoming the 2-1 deficit that they now face.