Dirk Doin' Work (a Trav B. Joint)

Briefly consider how things were going with just over seven minutes remaining in game 2 of the Finals. With the series of dunks, fast breaks, and triples the Heat had unleashed upon the Mavericks, it appeared that a 2-0 lead and an eventual championship parade were inevitable. Then it happened.
Following Dwyane Wade's three pointer with 7:14 remaining, the Mavericks went on a 22-5 run that earned them a shocking 95-93 victory after going down 88-73.

Many will look to point fingers as to why Miami surrendered such a solid lead, but one must first consider how it was achieved.

Dallas committed quite a few turnovers early on, and that resulted in many easy fast break opportunites for two of the league's best open court forces (James and Wade). Besides that, the Mavericks went through a stretch where they missed a great deal of open shots. They were effectively beating themselves.

an appropriate celebration

Let's not forget about the Heat's shortcomings, in the clutch last night. After torching Dallas for 36 points, Wade posed in front of their sideline and decided his scoring foray was over. Once again it was Wade deferring to Lebron for desperation threes in their final possessions. We've been spoiled by the amazing jump shots that James has made lately, but it is not wise to forget that it is still amongst his greatest weaknesses. He is at his best when he slashes to the hoop, drawing attention and freeing his teammates.

Nonetheless, the Mavericks needed perfect execution to come back, and they proceeded to score on 10 of their final 11 possessions. Dirk's poise to sink two layups with his injured left hand during that run should be both noted and praised.

Thankfully, this is a series now, and I don't anticipate ANYONE celebrating prematurely again.