Is this history’s way of getting it’s revenge?  Or just another roadblock for Miami to overcome?

SCOTT JACOBS

Nothing has come easy for Miami this whole season:  From the offseason scrutiny to the late game collapses to the losing against perceived good teams.

So why should an NBA championship?

Dwyane Wade buried a 3 with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter, part of a 13-0 run, and Miami looked like they were well on their way to a commanding 2-0 series lead.  Instead the Mavs made history, and maybe in the process, began to undo what crippled their championship hopes some five years ago, beating Miami 95-93 in a crazy game 2.

Reverse the Curse?  It’s not Babe Ruth and there is no Billygoat, but the Dallas Mavericks have never been the same since Wade led the Heat on one of the all time great comebacks in NBA history in game 3 back in 2006.  That Heat team trailed by 13 late in the fourth when Wade took over, and it was a Dirk free throw miss that sealed Dallas’ fate.

Trailing by 15, it’s only fitting that it was Nowitzki who helped lead Dallas back from the ashes, and into a history all on their own.  The win was sweet enough for the Mavs, who know comebacks like the back of their hand, but to do it at AmericanAirlines Arena where their epic collapse is so vehemently remembered, and to do it with Dirk making the final shot to put the dagger in a stunned Miami team, is even more amazing.

And just like that, a series ready to implode on Dallas, took a 180 degree turn.  The Mavs did exactly what they needed to do: steal homecourt advantage and win a game, and they won’t be apologizing anytime soon.

Comebacks is what they do.  They did it against the Lakers in game one, shocking the masses and taking the fight out of L.A. for game two.  They did it against the Thunder, down 15 in game five, to win in overtime.  Tonight, they pulled the hat-trick of epic turnarounds, making that Portland collapse in game four in the first round feel like light years ago.  Even more amazing: all three massive comebacks came on the road.

In the process they knocked Miami off their heir of invincibility, and handed the Heat their first home loss of the playoffs.

It takes a special team to make a special comeback, but you start to wonder if Destiny is on Dallas’ side when they do this in three straight series.

And while most of the praise goes to Dallas for a remarkable turnaround, the Heat allowed their offense to go into the Witness Protection Program down the stretch. Horrendous shot selection just killed Miami in the closing minutes, and if not for a wide open Mario Chalmers 3 on an inexcusable defensive lapse this game may not have even come down to the last play.

7:13, one field goal for Miami.  Credit Dallas for tough defense, but those same haymakers that were going down for Miami down the stretch weren’t falling tonight.  When you go the well one time too many, this is what happens.  Dallas stopped turning the ball over, started getting their offense in transition, and did to Miami what the Heat had done so well this post-season: took over down the stretch.

It’s hard to act surprised when Miami blows these big leads.  They have these lapses — and I’ve seen this going back to the early part of the season — where Miami gets a big lead and then just becomes complacent.  The Heat are the more talented team, but the Mavs have all the momentum now, going into a Sunday Night showdown in the other AmericanAirlines palace: the Center.

I tweeted, ill-advised, that Miami was going to win their sixth straight against the Mavs in the Finals after they coasted to another win, but instead Miami lost their edge.  They stopped driving, they stopped pushing, and Dallas stopped making mental mistakes.  In the process Dallas maybe buried their past demons, and handed Miami a closet full of their own to be concerned with.

Shawn Marion was brilliant, and I’m happy for the guy.  He was such an integral part of the Phoenix Suns for so long, but they could never get over the Western Conference Finals.  Well now he’s in the Finals, and despite being much older, he’s become an important part of this Mavs team.  His play kept Dallas afloat, and then Dirk came in for the kill, recording Dallas’ last 9 points to ice Miami, and send a white clad crowd into stunned silence.

It’s only fitting for Miami that they have another roadblock to overcome in a season that has been chalk full of them.  They’ve been blasted all year and they are a resilient group.  But this is now just a 5 game series, and they have to get their mind right if they want to win a championship.  Miami needs to figure out how they can get better shots, and how they can score in a half-court set against this Mavs team.

Plus, if they’re “Hollywood as Hell” it’s only fair that adversity rear its ugly head on them one more time.  For the next three days people will bury Miami and proclaim that this will be their undoing.  Let them.  It will only fuel the Heat if we’ve learned anything this season.

“We will bounce back,” said Erik Spoelstra after the game.

They have no other choice.  This series is now anyone’s for the taking.

Miami didn’t finish the job tonight.  That kind of execution in Dallas could lead to the Mavs planning a parade.

The same one that never took place in 2006 after an epic comeback by Miami changed everything.

Dallas can only hope that this was their golden ticket to sweet revenge.

Photo: Getty

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