USA - NBA Finals shift to Dallas for Game Six

DALLAS (NBA) - Dwyane Wade will ride into Dallas with a head of steam.

After leading the Miami Heat to three straight wins, the Team USA star will face the challenge of finishing the job on the road in the NBA Finals. The Dallas Mavericks will host Game Six and, if necessary, Game Seven in the 2-3-2 Finals format.

"We've got to win one on the road to reach our goal," said Wade. "We've got a challenge ahead of us and I'm excited about this team's chances with the challenge."

Game Six will be on Tuesday and the Mavs will welcome back valuable reserve forward Jerry Stackhouse, who served a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul on Miami center Shaquille O'Neal in Game Four.

The Mavs certainly missed Stackhouse, falling short in a 101-100 overtime loss in Game Five on Sunday. But once again, Dallas' biggest problem was its inability to contain Wade, a player expected to play for the United States in Japan this summer at the FIBA World Championship. Wade scored 43 points, including the winning free throws with 1.9 seconds left in overtime.

After coming within minutes of taking a 3-0 series lead, the Mavericks lost all three games in Miami and must win their next two at home to capture their first NBA championship. The Heat also have never won an NBA title.

"We're glad to be headed home," said Dallas All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who turned 28 on Monday. "Our fans helped push us to two wins at home and we're going to need to do that again."

What the Mavs need to do is find a way to get the ball out of Wade's hands in crunch time.

Wade, who is averaging 34.4 points in the Finals, seemed destined for an off night after missing nine of his final 10 shots in a first half that saw the Heat trail, 51-43, at the break on Sunday.

However, Wade always seemed to have the answer in crunch time, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, including the last 11 for Miami in regulation. His bank shot with 2.8 seconds to play in the fourth period, tied the game, 93-93, forcing overtime.

Wade added four points in the extra session, which saw Dallas commit a critical mental mistake.

After Wade hit the first of two free throws to even the score, 100-100, Mavericks forward Josh Howard called his team's final timeout, which meant Dallas could not inbound the ball at midcourt after Wade made the second foul shot with 1.9 seconds to go.

Wade finished the game 21 of 25 from the foul line to set a Finals record for most free throws made in a single game and topped the 40-point mark for the second time in three contests.

Jason Terry led Dallas with 35 points while Howard bounced back from a three-point outing in Game Four by scoring 25 with 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the Finals.

Miami finished 11-1 at home in the post-season and became the second team to win the middle three-games of the Finals at home under the 2-3-2 format.

"This is what it's about," said Heat coach Pat Riley, who won four NBA titles with the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980's. "To get the first NBA title for this franchise we're going to have to do it on the road. We'll see if we're up to the challenge."

By PA Sport