It's been a great series so far and it was another exciting game last night with the Mavs edging out the Heat to take a 3-2 series lead as the series shifts back to Miami for Game 6 Sunday night.
Probably the biggest story of the series has been Dirk Nowitski and how huge he has been in this series. He continues to shoulder the team and makes big shot after big shot. Last night, he did have much needed help from the rest of the team namely Barea and Terry who both came up big with some much needed 3 pointers.
Another big story has been the play (or lack thereof) from LeBron James. He was huge in the Boston and particularly the Chicago series but he has largely been mediocre in this series. He has certainly faded in the fourth quarters. If not for the tremendous play of D. Wade, these games wouldn't even be that close.
The interesting thing is with the Heat on the brink of failure and going back to Miami for the final games, LeBron has an opportunity to define himself. Scottie Pippen recently said "LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game." Personally, I disagree. How quick we are to forget the greatness of MJ. What made him so great was that he saved his best for the biggest games on the biggest stage. LeBron has never shown that he is that guy. He now has the opportunity to show he can be that guy.
The Mavs seem to be riding high. The bench players/role players seem more comfortable playing now and the Heat look to be pressing. I really question the mental makeup of James and Bosh. I believe Wade will be ready to play and give his best on Sunday but it will be interesting to watch James. Frankly, everyone will be scrutinizing his every touch. It's tough to be in that position but he put himself there and whether he is a star or a goat, he will make one heck of a story Monday morning.
The Mavs have shown great resolve in this series and they have shown that they are not intimidated by Miami. Each game in this series has been exciting and I expect more of the same Sunday.
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