Miami 101, Dallas 100 (Mavs lead series, 3-2)
Dallas led by as many as 11, and Avery Johnson used Hack-a-Shaq to his advantage, forcing O’Neal out of the game for a few minutes in crunch time. But the Heat came back behind some fantastic play from Dwayne Wade to force overtime. Every possession in the extra period was pressure packed. With under a minute to play and the Mavs leading by one, Josh Howard went to the line to shoot two free throws and the 73% shooter missed both shots. On the ensuing possession, Gary Payton laid the ball high off the class over the outstretched arm of Erick Dampier, giving the Heat a one point lead with 0:29 to play. Not to be outdone, Dirk Nowitzki hit a torturous 15-footer with two guys in his face to give the Mavs the lead with 0:09 remaining. Dallas went into a zone on the next play, and Wade benefited from a very generous foul call which sent him to the line to shoot two shots. He made the first and Avery Johnson asked for a timeout after the second shot, but Howard called timeout after the first shot, which made it impossible for the Mavs to advance the ball after the second shot. Wade made the second and Devin Harris’ desperation shot was off the mark, giving the Heat a 3-2 advantage in the series. After several looks at Wade’s drive, it was a bad call, but that’s why there’s a home court advantage. It’s just too bad that it’s those kinds of calls that decides games and, ultimately, the series. Dallas has to win both games at home, so the pressure is definitely on the Mavs in Game 6. Dwayne Wade scored 43, while Shaquille O’Neal had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jason Terry led the Mavs with 35 points, while Howard and Nowitzki scored 25 and 20, respectively.