[Tommy]

By Michael Robinson.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals takes place tonight in Miami, and the Heat need a win in the worst way.

Miami is down 0-2 in the series thanks to a 99-85 Game 2 loss in Dallas. Now, they must win tonight or find themselves in an insurmountable 0-3 hole.

The worst part of the Game 2 loss, was that the game was not even as close as the final 14 point differential. Dallas led by 24 points after three quarters making the last period moot.

When you look at the box scores for the first two games, what is striking is how bad Miami has played, as opposed to how good Dallas has been.

Shaquille O’Neal only had five shots in Game 2 after just 11 in Game 1. Shaq is only a combined 2-16 from the charity stripe and you have to question whether the fear of taking free throws is making him less aggressive at the offensive end.

Superstar, Dwyane Wade is averaging 25.5 points in the series, but is shooting just 38.6% from the field. He has to become much more efficient.

It is time for Coach Pat Riley to show the world why he is the best man to coach the Heat and make some adjustments in response to the Dallas defense. When Antoine Walker is taking twice as many shots as Shaq, you know something is seriously wrong.

Even Stan Van Gundy, the coach Riley got rid of, would have figured that out!

Heading into this match-up, few people believed that Dallas would dominate the first two games by 10 and 14 points respectively. The Mavericks also covered the spread by four points in Game 1 and 10 points in Game 2.

Miami’s poor play has caused some major overconfidence in the Dallas media. One recent headline in the Dallas Morning News read: “Unworthy opponent no match for Mavericks.”

And that was even before Dallas won Game 2!

To this I say, wait a minute. Dallas has been by far the better team in this series, but you can’t make a complete judgment about Miami before they play a home game.

Granted, only two teams in NBA Finals history have overcome an 0-2 deficit. The first was the 1969 Boston Celtics who rallied to beat the Lakers in seven games. The second was the 1977 Portland Trailblazers who beat Philadelphia in six games.

The good news is that plenty of other teams have turned the 0-2 trick in earlier playoff rounds. NBA history also proves that a blowout in the NBA Finals does not always damage a team’s psyche.

In 1984, Boston lost Game 3 in Los Angeles, 137-104. The Celtics then won Game 4 in L.A. to even up the series at 2-2. Boston went on to beat the Lakers in seven games.

In 1985, The Lakers turned the tables by losing Game 1 in Boston 148-114. The Lakers then won Game 2 in Boston, and eventually won the series in six games.

So, while history is not on the side of the Heat, it is not exactly spitting in their face either. Miami knows they have to win the next two games at home to make this a competitive series once again.

That is a scenario that I can easily see happening.

Bet Now: Dallas (+4) at Miami

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