Heat Has Edge Over Mavericks After Game 1 Win

COMMENTARY | It is not surprising that the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks last night 92-84. The Heat has more stars and, in addition, the Mavericks were not shooting well. As it turns out, Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki hurt a finger. While on his non-shooting hand, in basketball opposite hands are used for aim and support for release -- it probably affected his performance.

Shandel D. Richardson has posted a recap of Game 1 on NBA.com with the "Mavericks-Heat notebook." Brian Floyd reports on Dirk Nowitzki's injury at SBNation.com with his article titled "Dirk Nowitzki Injury Affects Middle Finger On His Non-Shooting Hand."

In the game, both Miami and Dallas shot poorly. However, the key for the Heat was offensive rebounding and three-point shooting.

LeBron James scored 24 points, nearly equaling the Nowitzki's 27 points, but James had more offensive support.

From my standpoint, one of the key parts of the game was a defensive play by Nowitzki. He stripped the ball from Chris Bosh and a foul was immediately called. A replay showed that the strip came so fast and with the hand that wouldn't be suspected that the ref just missed it. However, there are a lot of blown calls in a basketball game. What made this situation different, as it turns out, is that Nowitzki apparently tore a tendon in his finger, although the full extent of the injury is still not known.

For the first half of the game, Dallas provided an excellent defense against Miami. The players worked from a zone and often exerted guard coverage in the backcourt, simply keeping constant pressure on Miami and attempting to keep the opposition out of a rhythm. It worked well on interior passing and plays, but the problem was that the Heat got good three-point shooting and also got to the offensive board more effectively.

At first blush, it is hard to see the Dallas Mavericks rebounding (sorry) from this loss. It is true that the finals are played a little differently. There will be two games played in Miami and then the venue will move to Dallas for three games. If the Mavericks get some momentum, they would have a chance to get a winning streak started and maintained.

It will depend how much of an injury Nowitzki has sustained, whether his supporting cast can step up and if Miami would develop a little over-confidence.

The nod right now, though, has to go to the Heat.

References:

SBNation.com Website, Brian Floyd, "Dirk Nowitzki Injury Affects Middle Finger On His Non-Shooting Hand"

NBA.com Website, Shandel D. Richardson, "Mavericks-Heat notebook"