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Mike Miller left the locker room with his arm in a sling after the Miami Heat's Game 1 win over the Dallas Mavericks to open the 2011 NBA Finals.
Mike Miller seemed to suffer an injury to his left arm late in the fourth quarter of the Miami Heat's 92-84 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Finals, and reportedly left the Heat's locker room wearing a sling. But in Miami's post-game press conference, coach Erik Spoelstra dismissed questions about Miller's fitness, saying he'd be fine. ESPN reporter Ric Bucher also tweeted that upon exit, Miller claimed his arm was OK. Miller wore a shooting sleeve on his left during the game, before the apparent injury; he didn't wear the sleeve during the series against the Chicago Bulls.
Miller missed the start of the season for the Heat with a serious thumb injury on his right hand; he didn't get into the flow until Miami's series against the Bulls, really. In Game 1 against Dallas, Miller had six points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action off of the bench. It was on his final rebound, wrestled away from Mavericks center Tyson Chandler, at which point Miller appeared to injure himself.
If Miller misses time or is hampered by the injury, the Heat have James Jones -- who didn't appear in Game 1 -- on the bench.
For more on Miller and the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.
Mike Miller Injury Stems From Heat Series Vs. Bulls; No MRI Scheduled
Mike Miller's left shoulder injury -- aggravated late in the Miami Heat's win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Finals on Tuesday -- stems for a hard screen taken in the Heat's Eastern Conference Finals series against the Chicago Bulls, reports Michael Wallace of Heat Index. Coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters that Miller wore a protective arm sleeve in Game 1 against Dallas to keep his arm warm, not because any structural damage is feared.
Miller grimaced and held his arm after wrestling a rebound away from Tyson Chandler with roughly four minutes left in Game 1. He left the game and didn't return, and reportedly left the Miami locker room with his arm in a sling. But he told reporters that his arm and shoulder were OK, and the team did not take X-rays or schedule an MRI for the wing.
Miller played 20 minutes in Game 1, both spelling the Heat's elite wings LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as well as playing next to them. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.
Jun 01 8:44a by Tom Ziller - 0 comments