*The Miami Heat just rallied from a 13 pt 4th quarter deficit to cut the Mavericks' edge in the NBA Finals to 2-1.
*Several thoughts about the game. Dallas really let one slip away tonight. Jason Williams and James Posey both hit critical threes to catalyze a late fourth quarter run that began at about the 5:30 mark. Miami finally played with some urgency on the defensive end, and with the help of a few calls, found a way to make the necessary stops to sustain the run into the final couple of possessions.
It should also be noted that Shaq hit two HUGE free throws with his team down 5. I believe there were about 2 minutes left, and Dallas was one stop and a bucket away from being up 7 and in cruise control. They seemed to had weathered the storm and looked poised to put the nail in the coffin with one more stop. Shaq pushes off Dampier to grab the offensive rebound, is fouled going up to dunk, and heads to the line for 2.I don't really like Shaq. My dislike of him is rooted in his dominance earlier in his career. His physical advantages were simply unfair in my mind. I've also never really liked the heavily favored dog in any fight, and Shaq always had to be considered just that.I digress...Shaq has steadfastly proclaimed that he makes free throws when they count--this time, he delivered. The two free throws cut the lead to three and gave Miami one more glimmer of hope. Everything went Miami's way during their fourth quarter comeback. A few calls, a few loose balls, four huge free throws by Shaq and Haslem. Everything just fell into place at exactly the right time. To cap it off, one of the premier foul shooters in the NBA, Nowitzki, missed the FT that would have tied the game at 97.Finally, Dwayne Wade is a stud. Wade made every big jumper in the fourth quarter, grabbed every critical rebound, and really tightened the screws defensively in the last three minutes. So long as the Heat have Wade healthy and performing anywhere near his capacity, the Heat have a fighting chance. I DEFINITELY think this Series is going back to Dallas, I'm just not sure whether the Mavs will shut the door on the Heat in 6 or in 7.*One thing really irks me about this year's coverage of the Finals, and I'm sure there have to be others out there who feel the same way: can Hubie Brown PLEASE retire. Why aren't Bill Walton and Steve Snapper Jones on the air vehemently disagreeing, prompting Walton to chime in with some of the funniest morsels of hyperbole known to man? Instead, we have Hubie Brown, who in my mind is one of the least entertaining color analysts in ALL of sports. I know the guy's coached in the NBA longer than I've lived and I know he is brilliant at seeing the subtleties game unfold as they happen. BUT, his delivery is PAINFULLY overserious and frankly unbearable by game's end. How many freaking times can Hubie Brown preface a comment with..."You know that..." Has anyone else noticed this? "You know that you have timeout, and you know that you are only down three. You know that they will be looking for Dirk. Now, you know that..."Enough Hubie. Lighten up dude.
*The 106th U.S. Open will be played at Winged Foot beginning Thursday. The main stories are Phil's attempt to keep alive his bid at the Grand Slam, and Tiger's return to golf following the death of his father, Earl Woods. Go here for a brief preview of the tournament, as well as some commentary about Father's Day and Sunday at the Open.
*Baseball's, well, baseball. There's still over 100 games to go. Some interesting stories are materializing, but there's still months and months of baseball yet to be played. Browse around the many SB Nation baseball blogs for great coverage including Bucs Dugout , for all you Pirates fans out there.