Nowitzki spearheads Mavericks to tie Finals

DALLAS: Till now, the Dallas Mavericks were suffering from the opening blues; in virtually every game of the NBA finals, they had fallen behind in the initial forays itself and ended up playing catch up.
In the crucial Game 4, on a tumultuous Tuesday, they decided to do something about it: led by the inimitable Dirk Nowitzki, they stormed into a 6-0 lead even before the Mav fans could fine-tune their voices.
After that, it was simple. True to form, they were trailing 65-72 in the final quarter; but with 10 minutes to go, typically, they launched yet another fight-back. Inch by inch, blow by blow, they not only recovered ground but also slipped into the lead. 77-76.
It was a question of holding on to their nerves from there. As the fans raised the temperature in the arena, they raised the tempo of the game: suddenly, they were 82-76, with the clock showing just 1.53 seconds.
In the tense final moments, the Heat put everything back into the contest, but even they knew that Mavs could not be beaten in this quarter. Definitely not in Texas. Mike Miller went for the 3-pointer from 28 feet along with the hooter but it was not to be.
The Mavs had staged another dramatic comeback; the finals are now locked 2-2, with one more game here; the action then shifts to Miami, with the first to notch up four wins taking this intensely fought championship.
Typically, Dwayne Wade led the charge for the Heat; he added 32 and was well supported by Chris Bosh (24); the others though fell short. LeBron James, particularly, could offer only 8 even though he was highly effective in defense.
The Mavs' hero was once again Nowitzki, with 21. He, however, seemed out of sorts after his initial burst, especially with the Heat forming a tight cordon around him. Indeed, he couldn't get a single point in the rest of the first quarter, and only 2 in the second.
He finally resumed his scoring in the third, with a couple of free throws; he was in full flow in the fourth quarter again, adding a critical 10 points to the team tally. Yet again, with barely 14 seconds left, he eluded a couple of Heat men, created space for a tough layup. 84-81.
Wade responded with a driving dunk. 84-83. 9 seconds left. Mavs simply had to play for time now; as they hung on to the ball, LeBron chases down a scampering Terry and fouls. Terry cans the two points. The Heat have 6 seconds to tie the game. Millner makes a shot. Misses.
The Mavs are home and dry. They troop out triumphantly, thumping each other. The mood in the arena has changed from electric to euphoric: the fans screams their hearts out and the chant Let's Go Mavs, Let's Go Mavs becomes louder and louder.
The Heat have wilted under the heat again. Can they recover from this mauling and the scarring of the last two lost games? Or will they wait to go back to Miami to make amends? Either ways, the NBA finals is on fire.