Mavericks comes from behind again to win Game 5

You could really tell that this rally is going to come.

The Dallas Mavericks moved within one win away from claiming their first championship in franchise history by outlasting the Miami Heat 112-103 after almost relinquishing the lead in the homestretch in the final game of the season in their homecourt at Dallas Texas last night.

Jason Terry and Jason Kidd ensured the win with a big three pointer each to finish with 21 and 11 points respectively and JJ Barea provided the 3rd quarter spark with 17 points and 4-5 3 pt. fieldgoals.

As expected, Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 29 points and he got the support he demanded in Game 3 as the Dallas bench clearly rose up to the occasion with even Brian Cardinal providing quality minutes while preserving Tyson Chandler to avoid foul trouble.

The Heat could have more problems than this loss though as Dwayne Wade sustained a hip injury in the first quarter and had to be checked in the locker room until the halfway point of the 3rd quarter after missing most of the 2nd period and the decline of his aggressiveness was very evident since then.

LeBron James tallied a triple double of 17 points 10 rebs and 10 assists in this losing effort but his offensive output is still subpar of what is expected of him most especially that Wade had to leave the court for majority of the game since the end of the first quarter.

"I thank God for giving me strength to be here and to him be all the glory" said a jubilant Jason Terry on a post game interview.

Miami will try to battle back as the series shifts to Miami again for Game 6 and if necessary , a Game 7 for the championship on June 13.

Dirk plays through sinus infection to lead Mavs and tie NBA Finals series

It's hard to keep a warrior down.

Dirk Nowitzki battled through a 101 degree fever yet he catapulted the Mavs to an 86-83 win over the Miami Heat to knot the Finals series at 2 games a piece and boil their battle down to a best of 3 affair last night at Dallas Texas.

Nowitzki and the Mavs were very close to being down 3-1 until they made their run to outscore the Heat 21-9 after they went trailing 74-65 with 10 minutes left in the final period. Dirk scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter including six free throws.

LeBron James was the main missing link for the Heat after accounting for only 8 points, breaking his streak of 433 consecutive double figure scoring games and not only that he also was scoreless in the final quarter in which his team only scored 14 points.

Dwayne Wade scored 32 points but his costly mistakes in the homestretch like the missed freethrow with 30 seconds left and his faulty inbounds pass forced Mike Miller to take a hurried shot that didn't even come close to hitting the rim as the Dallas fans celebrated their team's victory.

Game 5 will ever be more crucial as both teams try to take the driver seat in the series and go up 3-2 still at Dallas' homecourt.

-details courtesy of yahoo! sports

Miami Heat holds on to win Game 3 after a furious rally by the Mavs

The Miami Heat avenged their Game 2 loss by a nail biting win on the road against the Dallas Mavericks 88-86 to take a 2-1 series lead of their championship series last night at the hostile territory of Dallas.

Chris Bosh scored the go-ahead basket and Udonis Haslem shut down Dirk Nowitzki in the final possession to allow their team to escape with this victory after the Mavs mounted their comeback onslaught behind their superstar Dirk Nowitzki who scored 16 points in the third quarter for a total of 34 points with 11 rebounds but he was forced to a tough shot during the last possession.

Dwayne Wade, who led the '06 Heat team to the championship over Dallas, scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds but his timely baskets and motivational words to his teammates was the biggest factor that led to this win.

"I just want to lead my teammates by example and be aggressive" Wade uttered in an interview after this pivotal win.

Dallas didn't offer much help to Dirk on this game as the next leading scorers for the Mavs are Jason Terry with 15, Shawn Marion with 10 and Kidd added 9 points and 10 assists but he committed a total of 4 turnovers.

Game 4 will still be played in Dallas on Tuesday, (US Time) as the Mavs try to take their first win in their home floor in the Finals and prevent a 3-1 lead for Miami.

Heat win Game 1 of the NBA Finals

Another stifling end game blitz.

Dwayne Wade waxed hot towards the end of the game to lead the Miami Heat to a crucial 84-92 Game 1 victory in the coveted NBA Finals in front of their rowdy crowd at the American Airlines Arena in Miami Florida.

Wade scored 7 points in the fourth quarter that he seasoned with a huge block on Shawn Marion and a spectacular alley-oop pass to Lebron James to put the icing on the cake of this huge victory after the Mavericks engaged them in a very close and competitive battle.

Dirk Nowitzki was relatively quiet for the majority of the fourth quarter and his shooting was limited to a 7-18 clip although he scorea total of 27 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Mavs.

Jason Terry started great 12 early points but after that fast start, he wasn't able to add to his production any more and he even missed a crucial three pointer that may have brought the lead down to 5 with 2 minutes remaining.

Dallas might be playing a little underhanded on Game 2 because an X ray showed that Dirk Nowitzki tore a tendon on his non shooting hand but he will play as he tries to rally his team back and avoid a 0-2 hole going back home.

Heat sets duel with Mavs in the NBA Finals

The Bulls crumbled in the homestretch again.

Much like what happened to the West Finals, the Miami Heat stunned the Chicago Bulls with an 18-3 run in the final minutes to win 83-80 and they will battle the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals.

LeBron James and Dwayne Wade joined forces to catapult the Heat to this comeback. Wade scored a rare four point play and James buried two three pointers to snatch the game as the Chicago fans watched in great disbelief.

James also provided tough defense on the reigning MVP Derrick rose who shot just 9-29 from the field to score 25 points and dished out 8 assists. He didn't get any able support with only Luol Deng making an impact with 17 points while Carlos Boozer was a non factor with just 5 points in 1-6 shooting.

Miami did beat Dallas in th 06 Finals but only two hold overs from each team remains today, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry for the Mavs and Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem for the Heat so we can expect a different series. The Mavs gained the 2-0 series lead before the Heat won four straight win the series back then.

Mavericks advance to NBA Finals by ousting Thunder

Another late game surge saved the Mavs.

The Dallas Mavericks advanced to their 2nd NBA Finals in franchise history by eliminating the OKC Thunder 100-96 after another late game spurt to close out the Western Conference Finals in 5 games last night at Dallas Texas.

Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion tossed 26 points apiece and they led the charge in the last two minutes including the go ahead three pointer by Dirk capped by a pair of freethrows and a three point play by Marion off a slam.

Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 31 points while Kevin Durant and James Harden added 23 points apiece but ti wasn't enough for the Thunder as they collapsed in the end game once again after leading 94-90 with two minutes to go and the main reason was their careless passing that led to costly turnovers.

The first time Dallas competed in the Finals was against the Miami Heat back in 2006 and they had a 2-0 series advantage before finally losing the series in six games and that was when Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade led Miami to a stunning four game rampage.

Dallas awaits the winner of the Chicago-Miami series where the Heat currently have a 3-1 lead and they will try to close it out in Chicago.

Mavericks get 3-1 lead after stunning comeback against OKC

The Thunder celebrated too early.

The Dallas mavericks mounted an unbelievable comeback to rally back from 15 points down with less than 5 minutes remaining to win in OT 112-105 and seize the 3-1 lead in front of stunned OKC crowd in Oklahoma City.

Dirk Nowitzki tallied his 2nd 40 point game to lead his team down the stretch and keep their heads above water while the Thunder broke down when it mattered the most as their supportive crowd watched in disbelief.

The Thunder outrebounded the Mavs 55-33, that's a +22 but still lost, becoming the first team in 25 years to lose a playoff game after getting a major rebounding advantage.

OKC's offense went ice cold starting the 4:48 mark of the 4th quarter, the time when James Harden fouled out. Their complacency was evident as they settled for outside shots and it took it's toll on them causing them this loss.

OKC will be in a major uphill climb for the rest of this series as Game 5 will be played in the hostile territory of Dallas and every game is a do or die game for the Thunder from now on.

Mavs win Game 3 on the road against Thunder.

They survived a furious comeback.

The Dallas Mavericks held on to a 93-87 victory against the home team OKC Thunder to seize 2-1 series lead last night after surviving a late game surge and once again gain series homecourt advantage.

The Mavs literally cuffed the younger Thunder in the first quarter only allowing 12 points for the period to lead by 15 points 27-12. The struggle went on for OKC until the halfway mark of the second quarter.

OKC 's performance towards the end second quarter improved but the lead was too big to overhaul and the first half ended with the Mavericks still in the driver seat 52-36 with Kevin Durant having evident offensive struggles.

Things started to turn physical in the third quarter as Russell Westbrook and Dirk Nowitzki exchanged shoves resulting in a double technical foul off a loose ball scuffle. Tyson Chandler elbowed James Harden in the face and by the end of the third quarter, Mavs lead 70-56.

Thunder make their run in the fourth, led by Westbrook,Durant and Harden to cut the lead to just four points but poor shot selection from OKC allowed Dallas to hold on and foil their end game rally.

Game 4 will be in OKC where the Thunder will try to tie it while the mavs try to take the commanding 3-1 lead

Thunder steals Game 2 to even series

The shock troopers came up big.

The explosive bench of Oklahoma City Thunder gave a huge lift in the home stretch to catapult their team over the Dallas Mavericks to tie the series at 2 apiece with a six point victory106-100 last night in Dallas Texas.

James Harden led the bench with 23 points including a 4 point play to put the Thunder ahead by one by the end of the 4th quarter. Kevin Durant scored 24 markers and they manage to keep in check the offense of Dallas especially down the stretch.

Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 29 but he was not as effective as compared to the opener where he scored 48 points and his freethrow attempts were limited to 10 and his only miss from the stripe is a big one, it could have pulled the Mavs within 3 with 36 seconds left.

Serge Ibaka put up energetic defense against Nowitzki and his hustle rubbed off his teammates.

Russell Westbrook was not part of OKC's finishing unit as he lost his cool and can't seem to put his acts together.

Game 3 will be in Oklahoma City in front of the loudest crowds in the league today as they support their young and athletic team try to take the pivotal Game 3 win.

Dallas defeats Thunder on a shootout to get Game 1

Rusty who?

The Dallas Mavericks won the opener of the West Finals spearheaded by an awesome performance from Dirk Nowitzki last night at Dallas Texas 121-112 to move one step closer to the elusive slot to the NBA Finals.

Nowitzki dropped an incredible 48 point performance with 12-15 shooting from the field and a perfect 24-24 from the free throw line to set the record for most FT's made without a miss and overshadow the 40 point output of Kevin Durant of the Thunder.

It was the Dirk show right from the start and it was his unstoppable rampage that kept OKC at bay despite of the pretty even battle throughout the statsheet.

Jason Terry and JJ Barea provided huge help in scoring with 24 and 21 points respectively while Durant's partner Russell Westbrook struggled badly shooting 3-15 from the field.

Despite the performance of Dirk, this game wasn't near perfect for the Mavs as they allowed the Thunder 43 attempts from the stripe and they managed to win the rebound battle by two, a statement that OKC is very much in fighting form after a tough 7 game series with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dallas really benefited from the 1 week break they earned by making short work of the back to back champs L.A. Lakers which they sent home with a sweep and they will try to continue the rampage on Game 2 also to be played in Dallas.

Mavericks send Lakers home with an embarrassing sweep

The Last Stand turned into a huge disaster.

Phil Jackson's decorated coaching career ended in the worst way anyone could have imagined as he and the LA Lakers got busted out of the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks after a 122-86 demolishing to complete the 4-0 sweep of the Western Conference semifinals last night in Dallas Texas.

Mavericks lit up the Lakers with 20 three pointers tying the record for most 3's in a playoff game and their 49 three pointers set the new record for most 3's in a 4 game series. Jason Terry was literally on fire scoring 32 points including 9-10 three's as he tied the record for most in a single game.

Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum got ejected in the latter part of the game as they were both called for flagrant fouls 2 in a point of the game where the Lakers clearly had no chance and the series was definitely over.

Back up pointguard JJ Barea scored 22 for the Mavs and one of the heroes of their Game 3 comeback Peja Stojakovic came up big once again scoring 21 as they close out the Lakers in a total over run.

This is the most disastrous series in Phil Jackson's career as he was down 0-3 for the first time and this sweep only made things that much worse.

The Mavs will face the winner of the OKC vs Memphis battle in th West Finals in a series where the Grizzlies are leading 2-1

Mavs rally back to win Game 3 and take astounding 3-0 lead

Phil Jackson's last coaching season is in danger of ending in a horrible way.

The Dallas Mavericks are one win away from sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers and eradicating their aspirations on a three-peat of the championship before their long time head coach Phil Jackson retires from coaching.

Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and 4th quarter hero Peja Stojakovic worked hand in hand to lead the Mavs' comeback after the Lakers took an 8 point lead with less than 7 minutes remaining and seal the victory. Nowitzki scored 32 points and 9 rebounds, Terry tallied 23 points and Stojakovic added 15, including 11 in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers sorely missed the services of Ron Artest as he was suspended due to a "clothesline" he gave JJ Barea at the final minutes of their Game 2 loss. They started with Odom at the small forward position which gave them success pounding the ball to the interior but they had trouble covering the Mavs from the outside.

Phil Jackson has never been down 0-3 on a series until now and he and his team are in great danger of being sent home by a series sweep, something Jackson has never experienced in his decorated 20 year coaching career.

Game 4 will be held Sunday, still at Dallas Texas where the home team will be cheered on by a jam packed crowd as they try to sweep the Lakers and end their 3 year reign as Western Conference champions.

Mavs get another road win to take 2-0 lead over Lakers

Mavs came out and totally invaded the Staples Center.

The Dallas Mavericks are on the right track to erasing the reputation of being a playoff disappointment after capturing another win in the hostile confines of the Staples Center at the expense of the Lakers 93-81 earlier today (Manila Time) to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Dirk Nowitzki once again spearheaded the Mavs with 24 points and 7 rebounds as they put up an amazing defensive performance limiting the lakers to 81 points and an awful 2-20 shooting from beyond the arc.

Shawn Marion added 14 points while Jason Kidd provided steadiness with 10 points and 6 assists to catapult the Mavs to a 9-0 fourth quarter rally to seal the victory and head back to Texas with a two game lead no one even expected them to get.

Nowitzki scored 15 points in the first half with his famous impossible to block 7-foot fade away jumpers despite being defended by Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest who took turns guarding him throughout the game.

The Lakers were ice cold all throughout the game especially in the fourth quarter showing for just 7-20 in the final period. Pau Gasol's struggles in the playoffs continue as he was once again a non-factor, even getting booed by the home fans several times.

Game 3 will be Friday night (Saturday, Manila Time) on Dallas where the Mavs look to take a commanding3-0 and bury the Lakers together with their aspirations of a three-peat in Phil Jackson's last coaching season as he already said that he will retire by the end of the season.

Lakers rout Hornets to advance to the second round

The quest for a three-peat continues.

Back to back champions Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Hornets in Game 6 to wrap up the series 4-2 via a 98-80 victory in front of the Hornets’ crowd at New Orleans earlier today.

Kobe Bryant scored 22 of his 24 points in the first three quarters to lead the Lakers as they qualify for the West Semifinals to continue their pursuit for a three-peat of the championship.

Chris Paul struggled all game long as he tallied an anemic 10 points though he had 8 rebounds and 11 assists but it is a far cry from his stellar performances in the two victories New Orleans had.

Paul averaged 30 points and 14.5 assists in their wins and only 18 points and 10 assists in their losses so his sub-par performance was pretty much the barometer of the Hornets’ defeat.

Andrew Bynum was dominant in the interior with 18 points and 12 boards as he led the Lakers to an overwheling 21-4 second chance points advantage.

The Lakers will face the Dallas Mavericks in the next round as the Mavs wrapped up the series 4-2 with a Game 6 victory on the road to eliminate the Trail Blazers.

The second round for the Lakers will start on Monday (Tuesday Manila Time) at the Staples Center in LA.