Mavericks 112, Heat 103

Both offenses exploded last night, each surpassing the century mark for the first time in the series. Miami's 52.9% shooting was impressive, but Dallas' 56.5% was just a bit more so. The Heat spent most of the game without Wade, then essentially spent the 4th quarter without LeBron.

If Dallas didn't win this one, I felt like the series would be over. Down 3-2 going back to Miami would have been too tough to overcome. And while the Mavs still have to win one more game, they needed this game last night.

Dirk Nowitski had another stellar performance with 29 points. But the hype around him is a little surprising. I won't go so far as to say he's overrated. I think maybe he was underrated before this run by the Mavs. Now people feel the need to exaggerate. Still, he is carrying Dallas on those German shoulders.

It was a team effort for the Mavs, though. Jason Terry scored 21 off the bench, Jose Juan Barea added 17, Kidd had 13, and Chandler had 13. The Mavericks hit 68.4$ of their three pointers.

LeBron James had a triple-double with 17 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. But he only scored 2 points in the 4th. That night kind of sums up what his critics think of his career.

Game 6 Sunday night.

-The Commodore