[Tommy]

By Michael Robinson.

Game 4 Recap.

My concern about Dallas heading into Game 4 was their mental state after blowing a big 4th quarter lead in Game 3.

A win in Game 3 would have put them up 3-0 and essentially ended the series. Instead, the Miami comeback gave the Heat a new lease on life.

Miami won Game 4 in a blowout, 98-74, in Dallas’ worst game of the entire post-season. The most disappointing aspect for the Mavericks was the 2-14 shooting night from Dirk Nowitzki, and the fact they scored just seven points in the fourth quarter.

Dallas must quickly erase that game from their memory if they are going to win on Sunday.

Bet Now: Dallas (+2) at Miami

2-3-2 Format

Let me first start off by saying that I hate the 2-3-2 format. If the traditional 2-2-1-1-1 format is good enough for the rest of the playoffs, then it should be good enough for the finals.

Just for a little history lesson, the 2-3-2 format was instituted in 1985 to cut down the travel time for the last three NBA Finals games. This was in the midst of Boston and Los Angeles continuously playing each other in the finals, and the teams were 3,000 miles apart.

The good news for Dallas is that since the 2-3-2 was instituted, only one team has swept Games 3 through 5 of a seven-game series at home. That was the 2004 Detroit Pistons over Shaquille O’Neal’s Los Angeles Lakers.

Outlook

When I look at the current state of the Mavericks, all I can think of is the 1987 Detroit Pistons. Detroit was on the verge on winning Game 5 in Boston against Larry Bird and the Celtics. A win would have put Detroit up three games to two, and a chance to end the series in Game 6 in Detroit.

Instead, Larry Bird stole an inbounds pass from Isiah Thomas with five seconds remaining and literally stole Game 5 from Detroit. The Pistons won Game 6 at home, but lost the series in seven games. Anyone who saw that steal by Bird knew that the Celtics were not going to lose the series after that.

The good news for Dallas is that their debacle happened in Game 3, giving them enough games to regroup from their gaffe. They also have history on their side, as it is so hard to win the 3-4-5 games at home.

One late note: Dallas’ Jerry Stackhouse was suspended for this game after a hard foul on Shaquille O’Neal last game. This puts a definite crimp in Dallas’ ability to win this game.

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