SBNation.com - Heat Vs. Mavericks, Game 4: Dirk Overcomes Flu, Leads Dallas' Comeback Win To Even Serieshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46737/sbn-fave.png2011-06-08T13:09:06-04:00http://www.sbnation.com/rss/stream/19753822011-06-08T13:09:06-04:002011-06-08T13:09:06-04:00Dirk Nowitzki Gets The Headlines, But Tyson Chandler Carried The Mavericks In Game 4
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<p>Dirk Nowitzki played Game 4 with a fever in the tripe digits, but without Tyson Chandler anchoring the Mavericks defense and owning the offensive boards, Dirk's efforts would have been in vain.</p>
<p>It's a little bit less dramatic to give the credit to someone like Chandler (instead of Dirk), but sometimes it's just this simple--as valuable as Nowitzki's been all playoffs long, Tyson Chandler has been a difference maker just as often. Tuesday was just the most convincing example yet.</p>
<p>With Dirk ailing and Brendan Haywood still injured, Chandler said afterward, "I told Coach, 'You have to get me back out there, I will play 48 (minutes) if I need to.'" Turns out, he only played 43. To put that number in perspective, Chandler only played 34 minutes in Game 1. For a big man, that's a pretty serious increase. And not only did he survive, he anchored the Mavs on both ends, and his team thrived.</p>
<p>He had 13 points, and 16 rebounds, including NINE offensive boards. To put that number in perspective, no other player had more than five offensive rebounds, and Miami only grabbed 15 as a team. But especially during the second half, Chandler just kept batting rebounds back out to Dallas shooters. Extending possessions, giving the Mavericks more open looks, and slowly bleeding Miami of any chance to break the game open.</p>
<p>On defense, Chandler did what he's done all series. He set the tone in the lane, roamed under the hoop as part of Dallas' zone defense, and most important, he was able to be a convincing obstacle in front of LeBron James coming off pick-and-rolls. It's not just a fluke that LeBron had the worst game of his playoffs against Chandler. To date, Tyson Chandler's the best big man the Heat have faced. And he just keeps coming through.</p>
<p>I said earlier today that it makes no sense that a team like the Mavericks is somehow tied with the Miami Heat, but that's totally true. There are two explanations. 1. Miami's not as dominant when LeBron James is struggling, and 2. Tyson Chandler's been a terror on both ends. Part of explaining no. 1 relates to no. 2, and it's the biggest reason Dallas won game no. 4.</p>
<p>When all this is said and done, whatever happens during the rest of these Finals, the story won't be about Tyson Chandler. Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James will always attract more headlines, and rightfully so. But don't forget about Tyson Chandler. Dirk's been great for years, after all. It's not necessarily coincidence that Dallas finally became dominant with Chandler in the middle.</p>
<p>And look at Game 4. Even without Dirk dominating, sometimes Chandler can even carry the load, himself. The Finals MVP always goes to whichever team wins the title. Even if Dallas wins, of course, Tyson Chandler won't win it. There's no way it goes to anybody but Dirk.</p>
<p>But as Chandler said Tuesday, "I'm going to give it all every second I'm out there." And if you're wondering why Dallas and Dirk still have such a great shot at all that hardware, look no further than the <i>other</i> Maverick laying it all on the line, and coming through in crunch time.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213431/dirk-nowitzki-tyson-chandler-dallas-mavericks-nba-finalsAndrew Sharp2011-06-08T11:02:48-04:002011-06-08T11:02:48-04:00LeBron James Disappears For Miami In Game 4, And Everything We Learned Was A Lie
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<p>The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat and tied the 2011 NBA Finals at two games apiece on Tuesday night. But even after more heroics from Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, all the talk centers on LeBron James. What the hell happened?
</p> <p>"What the hell happened to <span class="sbn-auto-link">LeBron James</span>?" said everyone after the <span class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Mavericks</span> beat the <span class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Heat</span> in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>Playoff games are supposed to provide definitive answers, not leave us with more questions than ever. And yet, with the Heat looking like the better team through most of the game, the Mavericks tied the NBA Finals at two games apiece Tuesday night. Right back to where we started. It's a three game series now, and it makes no sense.</p>
<p>Especially with <a href="http://sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213137/dirk-nowitzki-sick-dallas-mavericks-miami-heat-game-4-nba-finals-2011">Dirk Nowitzki playing with a 100-degree fever </a>and looking like a complete mess for most of the game, the Mavs had no business winning on Tuesday. Every time Dallas made a shot, it felt like some grand triumph. Every time Miami scored, it felt like the beginning of an avalanche.</p>
<p>That dynamic describes the series in general. When Dallas wins a game, we pinch ourselves and say, "Do you believe in miracles?" When Miami wins, we shrug our shoulders and say, "This isn't magic, the Heat are just the better team." But the avalanche we've been waiting for hasn't happened yet. Which brings us back to LeBron.</p>
<p>Every day it seems like there's a new referendum on LeBron James. Just look at the NBA Finals. First there was Game 1, where he and <span class="sbn-auto-link">Dwyane Wade</span> looked unstoppable, and a title (or three) looked inevitable. Then Game 2, when he disappeared in the fourth quarter while Nowitzki took control and led one of the greatest comebacks in Finals history. In a matter of days, LeBron went from G.O.A.T. to goat.</p>
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<center><a href="http://sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/7/2211341/miami-heat-dallas-mavericks-dirk-nowitzki-nba-finals-2011">Complete Coverage of the Mavs' Game 4 Victory Over the Heat</a></center>
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<p>Then Game 3, when LeBron played lockdown defense throughout the fourth quarter, threw a perfect behind-the-back pass to <span class="sbn-auto-link">Chris Bosh</span> for the win, and a reporter asked him in the postgame press conference whether he was shrinking from the moment. Cue the referendum again. "He's doesn't have to be a scorer to be dominant," most folks agreed. "Did you watch him on defense? Did you see the game-winning pass? Anybody can see how good he is." Back to the G.O.A.T. Every time we think we've learned something about LeBron, the conversation changes.</p>
<p>All this back-and-forth may seem like a curse, but if anything, it's a testament to LeBron's gifts. A lot of folks nitpick the guy just because of The Decsion, but ultimately, basketball fans agonize over this stuff because there are only a handful of players with the chance to be this great. People don't spend hours debating Chris Bosh's legacy. LeBron gets the attention for a reason. </p>
<p>The debates will always rage about whether he's shrinking for the moment or delivering in a different way. You can't talk about LeBron James without measuring against the greatest players ever to play the game, because measuring him against his peers is just beside the point. So we ask ourselves. Is he a more athletic Larry Bird? Could he be better than MJ? Or is he a more talented <span class="sbn-auto-link">Vince Carter</span>?</p>
<p>And just when you thought the scale was narrowing for LeBron--he'll either be better than MJ and Bird or every bit as good--the NBA Finals have given everyone pause. Now we're back to square one, wondering how, exactly, a player can be as dominant as LeBron was in that Chicago series and as invisible as he was in Game 4.</p>
<p>Let's be clear: He didn't just "shrink" from the moment on Tuesday. He shriveled and then disappeared. He shot 3-11 and had just 8 points, and he was invisible in the final minutes. "I've got to do a better job of being more assertive," he said afterward. Um, yeah. Assertive at all would be a start. You don't win Finals games <a target="_blank" href="http://i54.tinypic.com/219xycx.jpg">flopping like this</a>. At best, he settled for a long, contested jumpers. More often, he just refused to attack at all, deferring to Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh.</p>
<p>"I definitely didn't play great offensively," he added afterward.</p>
<p>...Or defensively. While he pulled a disappearing act on offense, <span>Jason Terry</span> made a fool of him on defense, and again, King James just looked frozen. Just watch <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span>'s game-winning lay-up, where LeBron literally doesn't move as he stares at Dirk winning the game.</p>
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<p>It's all kind of incredible.</p>
<p>This is the same guy who prompted me to call him <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/5/25/2189258/lebron-james-miami-heat-nba-finals-2011-chicago-bulls">the best player on earth</a> two weeks ago. "He's hit all the shots great players are supposed to hit, and then some. He's been so good that he's got an incomplete Miami roster one win away from the NBA Finals. He can shut down anyone in the league on defense, and on offense, he just went for 35 points against the best defense in the league." He can also have games like Tuesday, apparently.</p>
<p>"Maybe this is all premature," I wrote then. "Lord knows we've had about five false starts with the LeBron Era in the past." And now here we are. Dirk Nowitzki's outscored LeBron James 44-9 in the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals, and the series is (somehow) tied.</p>
<p>It's one thing to have a bad game on a big stage, but Tuesday's display was more like surrender. It left us speechless for all the wrong reasons. How can someone that good be so incredibly irrelevant?</p>
<p>"What even... Did something happen?"</p>
<p>The greatest players in NBA History have always boggled our minds the way LeBron did against Chicago. But there's another kind of player that's just as incredible. Guys like Vince Carter, who have more talent than seems humanly possible, but somehow find a way to squander it. Whether they don't care enough, they don't work enough, or they're not tough enough. They never quite capitalize on the opportunity.</p>
<p>Where LeBron falls on that spectrum is up to him, and a lot comes down to what happens in the next three games of the NBA Finals. So we're back to where we started. Everything we learned in that <span class="sbn-auto-link">Bulls</span> series is meaningless now, and even Game 1 seems like weeks ago. But while thousands of words get spilled about his legacy today, Game 5 is just a day away.</p>
<p>Who knows whether he can take control of this series and his legacy all at the same time. The opportunity's still there, and now he can try to capitalize. But really... that's the thing.</p>
<p>Tuesday, he didn't even seem to <i>try</i>. In sports, that's the worst legacy of all.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213097/lebron-james-miami-heat-dallas-mavericks-nba-finals-2011-game-4Andrew Sharp2011-06-08T11:01:18-04:002011-06-08T11:01:18-04:00Heat Vs. Mavericks, Game 4: Dallas' Victory Dominated By Poor Shooting By Both Teams
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a>' 86-83 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> in Game 4 of the NBA Finals came in a intense, but ugly game. Both teams fought hard to go after every loose ball and rebound, giving the game a "playoff feel" if you're into cliches and such. The flipside is that there was some pretty awful shooting by both teams, especially from the outside.</p>
<p>Just how bad was it? The two teams combined to hit just 28 of their 88 jump shots, which is just under 32 percent. Worse, they combined to hit just 18 percent (six of 33) from beyond the three-point line. Here is that horrendous shooting in visual form, <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/#!/nba/gametracker/playbyplay/NBA_20110607_MIA@DAL">via CBS Sports</a>:</p>
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<p>That's Miami's shot chart, featuring all those Xs from behind the three-point line. But Dallas wasn't really much better.</p>
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/MrLandry30/status/78288634641522689"></a></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 16px;"> <a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/632167/Picture_108.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Picture_108_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/632167/Picture_108_medium.png"></a> <br id="1307543937648"> </span></p>
<p>The shooting was especially horrendous coming down the stretch in the fourth quarter. With 5:15 remaining in the game, <span>Jason Terry</span> hit a layup to give the Mavericks a 79-78 lead. The two teams then combined to miss 12 shots in a row over the next five minutes. <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span>'s driving layup with 14 seconds left to give the Mavericks a three-point lead was actually the first made field goal for either team since Terry's layup. Both teams were playing great defense, but many of those 12 field-goal attempts were open shots that simply weren't converted.</p>
<p>In the end, the Mavericks outlasted the Heat. Given the horrible shooting by both teams, outlasted is the right word to use.</p>
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<i>Be sure to follow our <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/section/2011-nba-finals">2011 NBA Finals hub</a> for full championship series coverage. For more the Heat, visit <a href="http://www.peninsulaismightier.com/">Peninsula Is Mightier</a>. For more on the Mavericks, visit <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavs Moneyball</a> and <a href="http://dallas.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Dallas</a>. </i></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213324/heat-vs-mavericks-game-4-nba-finals-2011-shootingMike Prada2011-06-08T10:30:34-04:002011-06-08T10:30:34-04:00Heat Vs. Mavericks: LeBron James Facing Foul Trouble For First Time Ever
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<p><span>LeBron James</span> famously avoids having fouls called on him like Europeans avoided dead rats in the Dark Ages. For his career, James averages 40 minutes per game. He averages just two fouls a game. It's a ridiculously low figure some attribute to excessive respect for the referees and others use to show LeBron's unique defensive prowess. (For the record, Michael Jordan averaged 2.6 fouls per game during an age when physicality was definitely tolerated more.)</p>
<p>But that's all changed in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a>'s NBA Finals series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a>. In Miami's Game 4 loss, LeBron picked up four fouls. It was the third time LeBron finished with four or more fouls in the series. In 79 regular season games, he hit the four-foul mark just eight times.</p>
<p>Now James isn't exactly getting into foul trouble; his fourth and final foul in Game 4 was with 6.7 seconds left and the Heat trailed and needed the ball back. But those situations happen in season, too, and it's a marvel a guy who averaged two fouls a game in the regular season is averaging a shade under four -- he had 15 through four games -- in the Finals. Either the referees are giving James far less benefit of the doubt, or the Mavericks are consciously attacking James ... which seems unlikely, given how few points James has given up defensively.</p>
<p>It'll be interesting to watch LeBron's foul totals as we move forward, and also to see whether the Heat begin to make a stink about it.</p>
<p>For more on James' lackluster Game 4, visit <a href="http://www.peninsulaismightier.com">Peninsula Is Mightier</a>.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213169/lebron-james-miami-heat-dallas-mavericks-nba-finals-2011Tom Ziller2011-06-08T10:00:57-04:002011-06-08T10:00:57-04:00Dirk Nowitzki Excels In Mavericks' Win Over Heat Despite Being Sick In Game 4
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<p><span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> didn't have the best game of his NBA Playoffs run in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a>' 86-83 Game 4 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> on Tuesday. But he did score 21 points, 10 during a fourth quarter that saw the Mavericks go on a 17-4 run to erase a nine-point deficit. He also added 11 rebounds, and was certainly the biggest factor for Dallas in the win. But the amazing part is that he did it all while sick, running a fever of 101 degrees.</p>
<p>We didn't find out Dirk was sick until halftime, with the Mavericks trailing 47-45 and Nowitzki having eight points on 5-10 shooting and just one rebound. He excelled in the second half (13 points, most on free throws, plus 10 rebounds), playing all but two minutes. His performance not only helped Dallas even the NBA Finals at 2-2, but it inspired his teammates. <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-mavericks/headlines/20110607-nowitzki-shakes-off-fever-to-help-mavericks-even-nba-finals-at-2-2.ece">From Eddie Sefko in the <i>Dallas Morning News</i></a><i></i>:</p>
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<p align="justify">Mavericks officials were calling Nowitzki’s play — 21 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes — heroic. After the game, he could barely speak without coughing or sniffling.</p>
<p align="justify">"This is the Finals," Nowitzki said. "You’re going to leave it out there."</p>
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<p align="justify">NBA lore is well-stocked with legends of players succeeding in the most difficult circumstances; the name "Willis Reed" calls up a very specific limp to the court, and "Flu Game" is a two-word essay on toughness all of its own. Dirk enters that pantheon -- maybe on a lower rung -- after Game 4.</p>
<p align="justify">For more on Nowitzki and the Mavericks, visit <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com">Mavs Moneyball</a> and <a href="http://dallas.sbnation.com">SB Nation Dallas</a>.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213137/dirk-nowitzki-sick-dallas-mavericks-miami-heat-game-4-nba-finals-2011Tom Ziller2011-06-08T09:47:09-04:002011-06-08T09:47:09-04:00LeBron James Flop Rivals Manu Ginobili's Championship Best
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<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/632099/lebron-flop.gif"><img alt="Lebron-flop-image_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/632095/LeBron-flop-image_medium.jpg" target="_blank"></a> </p>
<p>Wow, <span>LeBron James</span>, it looks like you are fixing to fall down! For someone of your strength and physical certitude to be so off-balance as to be on the precipice of hitting the deck, you must have been hit exceptionally hard. What scallywag did this to you? I shall click on the photo of you falling to see it animated, and see who has committed this great crime.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Oh, a ghost. Tricky move, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavericks</a>!</p>
<p><i><b><a href="http://sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/7/2211341/miami-heat-dallas-mavericks-dirk-nowitzki-nba-finals-2011">See our full coverage of the Mavs' Game 4 win over the Heat</a></b></i><i><b>.</b></i></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213214/lebron-james-flop-gif-miami-heatTom Ziller2011-06-08T09:45:23-04:002011-06-08T09:45:23-04:00Heat Vs. Mavericks: LeBron James Continues To Be Outplayed By Dirk Nowitzki In Fourth Quarter
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<p><span>LeBron James</span>' disappearing act in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a>'s Game 4 loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a> in the 2011 NBA Finals has received plenty of attention. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2212790/heat-vs-mavericks-game-4-lebron-james-struggles-miami-falters-in-the">James scored in single digits for the first time since 2007</a>, and to make matters worse, it came after a 48-hour news cycle in which many people defended his play. It was the first game in this series in which he truly played poorly. </p>
<p>However, it's not the first game in this series where he played poorly in the fourth quarter. James has scored just nine points in the fourth quarter in the entire series, a staggeringly low number. By contrast, <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> has scored 44 points in the fourth quarter in this series. </p>
<p>It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, to be fair. James has been ceding fourth-quarter scoring responsibility to <span>Dwyane Wade</span> in this series, a luxury Nowitzki does not have. Nowitzki simply has to score for Dallas to even have a chance to win, so he is going to get more touches and points. But the margin between the two players should not be as lopsided as 44-9, no matter the circumstances.</p>
<p>James is certainly capable of lifting his game in crunch time, as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Chicago Bulls</a> can attest. He just has to find a way to get it done if the Heat are to win this series.</p>
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<i> Be sure to follow our <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/section/2011-nba-finals">2011 NBA Finals hub</a> for full championship series coverage. For more on James and the Heat, visit <a href="http://www.peninsulaismightier.com/">Peninsula Is Mightier</a>. For more on Nowitzki and the Mavericks, visit <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavs Moneyball</a> and <a href="http://dallas.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Dallas</a>. </i></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213181/heat-vs-mavericks-lebron-james-dirk-nowitzki-nba-finals-2011Mike Prada2011-06-08T09:30:36-04:002011-06-08T09:30:36-04:00J.J. Barea Gambit Results Mixed In Mavericks' Game 4 Win Over Heat
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a> coach <span>Rick Carlisle</span> made a rather big adjustment for Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals, trailing the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> 2-1: he changed his starting lineup. Dallas' starting five has been rather fluid since the team lost <span>Caron Butler</span> in January; it seems almost every combination wings has gotten a chance to shine. But the Mavericks had success all postseason with a Jason Kidd-<span>DeShawn Stevenson</span> backcourt. For Game 4, Carlisle replaced Stevenson, a defender, with reserve J.J. Barea, a scoring guard roughly an inch or so taller than <span>Nate Robinson</span>. In the same stroke, Carlisle elevated <span>Brian Cardinal</span> over <span>Peja Stojakovic</span> in the rotation.</p>
<p>How'd it work out? Barea continued to struggle; he came into the game shooting 5-23 in the Finals, and hit just three of nine shots in 22 minutes in Game 4. The Mavericks were outscored by seven points in Barea's minutes, all of which came with <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> also on the floor. But Stevenson actually flourished in a bench role, at least in the second quarter.</p>
<p>In the second, Stevenson scored 11 points on 3-4 shooting; he hit three three-pointers and two free throws, and helped Dallas stay in a dogfight with Miami. He couldn't keep it going for his long fourth quarter appearance -- he played all 12 minutes, most of them next to Kidd -- as he shot 0-3 in the final frame and his primary assignment, <span>Dwyane Wade</span>, pushed Miami to a near-win. But on the whole, Stevenson did better playing in the second and fourth quarters almost exclusively, countering the ill effects of more Barea.</p>
<p>As for Cardinal: in seven minutes, he did about as much as Peja has done in this series, which is to say he basically did nothing.</p>
<p>For more on the Mavericks' adjustments going forward, visit <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com">Mavs Moneyball</a> and <a href="http://dallas.sbnation.com">SB Nation Dallas</a>.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/8/2213104/jj-barea-dallas-mavericks-miami-heat-nba-finals-2011Tom Ziller