Can the Mavericks Win Three Games In a Row?

With a foul to give, the Heat decided to let Dirk Nowitzki go to work against Chris Bosh with the closing seconds winding down in a tie score in Game Two.

Bad decision.

Nowitzki did what he's been doing against throughout the entire playoffs: get hot when it matters. He hit the game-winning shot with his left hand -- the one with the injured finger.

If the Heat thought their lead was safe when up by 15 points with 7:13 remaining, they obviously paid little attention to the Mavs' series with the Thunder. There are just too many players on this Mavericks team who refuse to quit.

Dallas has a veteran team, and they are resilient. There are no questions about who deserves the ball and when, and there are also no egos and finger pointing after losses.

With the threat of going down 2-0 in the series, the Mavericks proved to everyone that they deserved to be in the Finals, and have a strong shot at taking home the Larry O'Brien trophy.

But the question now, with three games on schedule in Dallas, is whether the Mavs can maintain their success, and perhaps avoid a return to Miami.

The Mavericks have only lost one game at home in the postseason, and that was to a Thunder team that was playing over their heads with Kevin Durant and four bench players in the fourth quarter.

Miami isn't going to roll over for Dallas, but the Heat have to be aware of how tough the Mavericks can be at home. During the postseason, the Mavericks have defeated their opponents by an average of a little more than 12 points per game.

In the regular season, the Mavs and Heat shared similar records, including their records at home and on the road. But after the drumming the Mavs took in Game One, and the difficult comeback they had to pull off in Game Two, Dallas will likely need to buckle down at home to avoid a Game Six back in South Florida if they expect to win it all.

There are lessons that the Mavericks should learn from the first two games. They will need to defend Dwyane Wade better. The flashy shooting guard proved he has a lot left after an arduous season.

In the Game One loss, Bosh was very effective, and the Mavericks didn't seem to ever have an answer for him. Bosh will be playing in his hometown for the next few games, where he has turned out strong performances over the course of his career.

Then there's LeBron James, but everyone knows his talent, and there's no hope finding a strategy to contain him, other than forcing him into jumpshots. That strategy has failed on numerous occasions, as well.

On the offensive end, Jason Terry rebounded from his subpar showing in Game One with a much better Game Two, but the Mavericks guard only took 11 shots. Rick Carlisle may need more shots from Terry to not burn out Nowitzki and Shawn Marion.

J.J. Barea has proven he still has the ability to create for himself and others in the postseason, but has been limited in the series so far. Perhaps a few more minutes from the short point guard might give Jason Kidd more rest, and tire out the Heat a bit.

Carlisle was right to pull Peja Stojakovic after only five minutes considering how ineffective he was on the defensive end. At home, though, Stojakovic has proven to be a deadly shooter in the playoffs.

The Mavs will also need a repeat their rebounding performance from Game Two. Dallas out-rebounded Miami, 41-30. That was a big difference from the 16 offensive rebounds that the Mavericks conceded to the Heat in Game One.

Miami is in the Finals for a reason. As much as the press will make a big deal of the Game Two collapse, Miami has been through much worse this season. When the opening tip occurs, Game Two will be a distant memory.

Dallas has a tough road ahead. LeBron James and Company want to avenge the Game Two loss, and have three games in Dallas to just pick up one win and regain home-court advantage.

It may be the Mavericks who need to have their heads on straight after Game Two.

Sure they have the momentum going to Dallas, but the Mavericks need to make sure not to rest on what worked before, but what will work the rest of the way.