LeBron James stated in his pregame pep talk before game three, that if by the end of the game you aren’t exhausted, you aren’t playing right.  Well, if you are watching the NBA Finals and you were not exhausted by the end of the game, you didn’t watch it close enough.

The NBA Finals wrote another page in the chapter of 2011 on Sunday night.  It started off with a home-court advantage blazing the path for the Dallas Mavericks to succeed, but the Mavs looked to be down all game long.  Emotions were high as the minutes ticked down to the final few.  From happiness to sadness, from being distraught to being exuberate.  Game three had it all…and it came down to the final possession.

After Chris Bosh drained a basket with just over 39 seconds remaining, Dallas botched their possession to give Miami the opportunity to close out.  Dwayne Wade kept the cards in his pocket and allowed James to make the clutch shot.  The ball rimmed out, allowing the Mavericks one last chance.

Jason Kidd tossed the ball to Nowitzki for a decent look close to the free-throw line, but it fell short.  Udonis Haslem played phenomenal defense on Dirk for that final possession.  The Heat came up victorious to make it 2-1 in their favor by the score of 88-86.

AFP

Wade led the Heat in scoring with 29 points along with snagging 11 rebounds and didn’t cough up a single turnover.  The fact of Wade playing exceptional allowed for a quiet run in the second half by the other man of the dynamic duo, James.  LeBron finished with 17 points but also had nine assists.

The reason for the Mavericks storming comeback again in game three was all help by their best playing, Nowitzki.  Dirk was able to knock down tough shots late in the game and ended up with 34 points.  He had a team best plus 12 point differential to go with 11 rebounds and three blocks.

Wade has been the man of the series so far for Miami.  But, the difference maker in game three might not have been a starter.  Mario Chalmers heaved up and connected for a half-court jumper to end the first quarter to push the margin to 29-22.  Chalmers later had three more three-pointers before the end of the game.  After another strong game by him and the continue struggle of Mike Bibby, it may be time for Erik Spoelstra to make a change in the starting lineup.

AFP

The home court advantage that didn’t seem prevalent when the series was in Miami surely made a difference in this game.  Every time that Dallas snuck back into the game, the roof of the American Airlines Center exploded.

The absence of backup center, Brendan Haywood, made a big difference in the way the Mavericks played on the defensive end.  Tyson Chandler was forced to play a little soft during the game so he stayed out of foul trouble.  Chandler continued to be a beast at the offensive glass.  He had seven of the team’s 12 offensive rebounds.

Game four will tip off at 8 p.m. central time on Tuesday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.