DALLAS - LeBron James is about to learn the true meaning of 'Now or Never' and 'biggest game of my life.' The same can be said of the Miami Heat as well.
The Dallas Mavericks are one victory from securing their first NBA title following a wild and emotional 112-103 Game 5 win Thursday night that included Dwyane Wade suffering a hip injury and James - despite posting a triple-double - failing to score on three consecutive possessions in the final three minutes after the Mavs had drawn even.
'At the end of the day it's about a win or a loss,' James said. 'A triple-double doesn't mean anything.'
James was at times spectacular; he finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. But he shot 8-for-19, and his lone points of the fourth quarter came on his basket with 29.6 seconds left, after Jason Terry's three-pointer had given Dallas a 108-101 lead.
BOX SCORE: MAVERICKS 112, HEAT 103
'We played good enough to win again,' James added. 'We were in position to win, but they made more plays than we did.'
James set the bar high for himself by saying yesterday that Game 5 was probably the biggest game of his life. And after searching the Internet the night before for stories criticizing him, he posted a message on his Twitter page after midnight that read: 'Now or Never.'
The pressure of the NBA Finals, of course, only intensifies for the team that trails 3-2 in the series. The Heat will get the chance to save its season at home, starting with Game 6 on Sunday.
'We have to go down there and basically approach Sunday's game as a Game 7,' Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki said. 'You don't want to give this great team any hope or anything.'
James was aggressive on both ends of the floor, but he's not a closer. Wade is, and right now Miami's best player is hurting. He missed 12 minutes of game time in order to receive treatment on his hip, which he injured in the first quarter when he ran into Brian Cardinal.
'I don't talk about injury,' Wade said afterward. 'The first half I had to leave the game, I came back and I finished. I don't have no excuses. I'll be fine Sunday.'
He remained in the locker room when the second half started - 'My plan was for him not to go,' coach Erik Spoelstra said - and didn't play again until there was 4:33 left in the third quarter. Wade played only 34 minutes but he did lead the Heat with 19 points and made 6 of 12 shots, including a three-pointer that capped a 9-0 Miami run midway through the fourth quarter.
But Nowitzki, who led all scorers with 29, hit two free throws as Dallas closed out the game on a 17-4 run. The biggest basket belonged to Terry, the Mavs' backup guard who scored 21 points. His three-pointer with 3:23 left tied the game at 100. Then after James misfired on a pull-up jumper, Nowitzki drove baseline for a dunk.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2011/06/09/2011-06-09_dirk_nowitzki_scores_29_points_bests_lebron_james_tripledouble_as_mavericks_beat.html#ixzz1Or3WSaJd
