NBA FINALS: This Series Might Already Be Over as Heat Defeat Mavs in Game One
By percentage, teams that win the first game of a playoffs series have overwhelmingly high odds of going on to win the series.
With the way the Heat looked in the fourth quarter of Game One of the NBA Finals, this series might already be over.
Miami looked sharp on Tuesday, mainly because they looked fit. This is a team that hasn't tired in the playoffs, and that endurance has spilled over into the series with the Mavericks.
At the 2:48 mark in the fourth quarter, James threw down a thundering dunk, and was fouled. As the arena erupted, it almost seemed like the Mavericks didn't know what they were in for.
Many players get tired as the season progresses, but James has better stamina than any player in the league. When you combine his fitness with his athleticism, he makes the Heat an almost unstoppable team. James played with a spring in his step in the later part of Game One, and it served as caution to the Mavericks, that they have to play 48 minutes every night, or they're doomed.
James put the icing on the cake, with less than a minute to play, when he slammed home an alley oop. There was no coming back from that.
Then, there is Dwyane Wade. There were questions as to whether Wade would play in Game One. Not only did he play, but he had one of his best playoff performances this season.
Dirk Nowitzki has to be wondering what happened. He might have expected that there was a huge run left in the Mavericks like they had against the athletic Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Heat's defense was just that good.
The Mavericks were held to their lowest shooting percentage of the playoffs -- only 37 percent.
Can the Mavericks rebound from Game One? If so, they will need more than just Nowitzki and Shawn Marion to step up. The other Mavericks looks demoralized.
Many might point to five years ago, when the Mavericks led the NBA Finals to the Heat in 2006, by 2-0 margin, and then later lost four in a row. But history probably won't repeat itself this time around, unless Miami suddenly gets either tired or careless.
Judging by Miami's stamina and focus in Game One, Dallas is probably in for a very difficult series.
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