June 9, 2011Brett PollakoffProBasketballTalk.com
Dirk Nowitzki knew that the importance of his Mavericks winning their last home game of the season could not be understated. Game 5 of the Finals, with the series all even at two games apiece and the next two back in Miami, was for all intents and purposes a must-win for Dallas.Nowitzki put it into the simplest of terms after Thursday mornings shootaround.You dont want to give them two chances to close it out at home, so this is our Game 7, he said.The Mavericks played like it. Putting together their finest offensive performance of the Finals, Dallas blistered Miami for a 112-103 win the team knew it so desperately needed.The numbers for Dallas in this game were absolutely staggering, considering how the first four games of this series had gone offensively against the intelligence and speed of the Miami defense. The Mavs shot over 65 percent from the field in the first half, on their way to an outstanding 56.5 percent for the game. As good as that overall number is, the three-point shooting was even better, and was the area where Dallas was able to do most of its damage.READ MORE AT PROBASKETBALLTALK.COM
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