<p>Wow, that ending by the Heat was incredible. The next two are must win for the Heat, and they can't fall asleep again during the third quarter.</p>
<p>The Heat are done... fall asleep or not, they can't hang.</p>
<p>I think last night said otherwise. It looks like the heat are finally starting to get close to their potential.</p>
<p>I still say the Mavs win it... I have a suspicion that the NBA prolongs the finals on purpose (like a deal is made between owners, teams, refs, Stern, etc.)... since it is just a money making entertainment business, why not? The players would probably rather prolong it for larger paychecks than make it a sweep and bore the fans.</p>
<p>Wade comes through again</p>
<p>More like the refs come through again... propelling Wade to an NBA Finals record of foul shots attempted... the NBA is really getting obvious these days. Their mantra should be "Our superstars are superstars, because they blow the whistle early and often for our "superstars""</p>
<p>Where the hell did Josh Howard go down the stretch? Why was Devin Harris on D Wade for so long?</p>
<p>Why were the refs allowed to decide the outcome of the game? That was as pathetic as the ref in the US v. Italy game who was red-card crazy. Is it really that hard to find decent refs?</p>
<p>Josh Howard was playing on a strained hamstring, and that had to play a part as did the unwarranted suspension of Stackhouse (which the Heat are very fortunate this happened, because I think Dallas rocks Miami last night if they have Jerry).</p>
<p>Why couldn't the game not be decided by refs? The answer is that the Mav's fell apart and let control of the game slip away from them. They once again let Wade take over the fourth quarter and overtime. Dallas missed four clutch free throws after being perfect for most of the game. Meanwhile, the Heat came through in a clutch effort again.</p>
<p>There is no conspiracy. Every site I've seen today has had Mav's fans whining about every call that did not go there way. There have been bad calls on both sides that is part of all sports. Sometimes the calls go your way sometimes they don't.
Why did the Heat have more foul shots? Because the Mavs' went to the hack a shaq, which got the Heat into the penalty early, and as a result the Heat took advantage of it. </p>
<p>The refs didn't call the timeout. Josh Howard did. You can't take back a time out. The refs had to call it. It is not there job to interpret a timeout that is supposed to be assumed to be later.</p>
<p>About the Stackhouse supension, it was consistent with how the playoffs have been called. Posey did a very simmilar hard foul in the first round in Chicago and received a one game suspension as well.</p>
<p>Gandalf, you're way off... trying to use one example to explain why the Stackhouse suspension is consistent is a bad way to argue your point... especially when right before game 5 ABC showed 4 or 5 examples of premeditated flagrant fouls that DID NOT lead to a suspension during this year's playoffs. The conspiracy is in the discrepency of foul shots taken--49 by the heat, 25 by the mavs... and the Mavs only went to the hack a shack method (as far as I could see) during the last part of the 4th quarter, not all game... Shaq commited some blatantly obvious fouls that were not called, and that's just the facts... but since I'm not really an NBA fan, I won't pursue this anymore.</p>
<p>Doesn't matter, Mavericks are going to run the Heat out of Dallas these next two games.</p>
<p>Wait there are other sporting events going on right now besides the world cup??? :)</p>
<p>source: <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260618014%5B/url%5D">http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260618014</a>
I counted up how many times O'Neil was fouled here's the breakdown.</p>
<p>1st Quarter
Shaq draws three fouls.</p>
<p>2nd Quarter
Shaq draws two fouls.</p>
<p>3rd Quarter
Shaq draws three fouls.</p>
<p>4th Quarter
Shaq draws four fouls.</p>
<p>OT
Shaq draws two fouls.</p>
<p>Total
3+2+3+4+2
Shaq was fouled fourteen times
Dallas total fouls 38
Miami total fouls 26</p>
<p>38-14=24
There's proof that their is no conspiracy. Just hack-a-shaq. Go Heat!</p>
<p>illini4eva86, yeah there's the Stanley Cup final game 7 I am watching right now :) Go Oilers!</p>
<p>Heat will lose... Dallas and Mr. Cuban will get the refs on their side for the final two games, and those games will be just like the first two in Dallas... Dallas blowouts.</p>
<p>Come on Gandalf, sure the Mavs missed some crucial free throws but the refs gave the Heat several chances to win the game at the end of the game. First of all, backcourt should have been called when the Heat inbounded the ball therefore giving the Mavs possession and essentially the win. (Look at the highlights and you will see that the refs blew the call). Second of all, NO ONE touched Dwayne Wade to cause him to get two game winning free throws, and the ref who made the call and blew the whistle was at halfcourt, meaning the two refs below the basket who's responsibility it is to make that call, saw NO FOUL! I understand that the refs are under no obligation to not call the timeout when Howard called for it, but come on, they should have the common sense and experience to realize that the Mavs wouldnt want to waste their timeout. However it wont matter in the end, because as was said above, the Mavs will get the calls at home, and the players will be so angry from game 5 that they will destroy the Heat in the next two games. Lets not forget that the Mavs beat the Heat by double digits in games 1 and 2 in Dallas...</p>
<p>I agree it was a back court (the fact that their has been back in forth debate about it over the last 24 hours has showed that is was not an easy call. Apparently, part of Wade's foot hit the front court when he received the pass), and their was a foul but it was by Harris not Dirk. I saw a still frame of it and it definitely looked like he hit Wade's hand while he was putting the ball up. The picture was on espn's nba page; I don't know if it's still up. The game had bad officiating, but what I am trying to get at is that it hurt both sides not just the Mavs.</p>
<p>How do the refs not know that the Mav's aren't trying to call timeout to put the pressure on Wade simmilar to NFL kickers in clutch situations? I know that's weak, but the ref's have to honor it just in case this was the Mav's intention. If you look at Josh Howard's face immedatley after calling timeout he does not look upset. I think Avery confused him. That was an internal Mav's error not the refs' fault.</p>
<p>I think the Heat must win tommorrow or else their chances are going to be very slim to pull out the game seven win. Shaq and Dirk are both due for big games, so it is going to be interesting to see if either one has one on Tuesday or potentially Thursday.
You guys have a great team. I am not trying to say the Mavs aren't good. If you guys were playing anyone besides the Heat I would be rooting for you. Still I am hopeful that the Heat pull through with a win tommorrow.</p>
<p>No i understand, I just was pretty frustrated because the Mavs were having a difficult time with the Heat in Miami already, but then with the refs being sub-par to say the least, it made it near impossible for them. I understand that it isnt the refs job to determine when they wanted the timeout called, and i am fine with that. What upsets me is that they didnt call the backcourt, then they called a foul, on the wrong guy, which is a bit frightening that they call a foul without even knowing who committed it. However I still think the Mavs have a great shot at winning and i think that Heat fans should be more concerned then Mavs' fans given their dominance in Dallas.</p>
<p>
[quote]
and their was a foul but it was by Harris not Dirk. I saw a still frame of it and it definitely looked like he hit Wade's hand while he was putting the ball up. The picture was on espn's nba page; I don't know if it's still up.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah, and I saw a really hard foul by Shaq on Eric Dampier after Dampier pulled down a rebound late in the game---Shaq hit his right forearm so hard he lost the ball, and almost fumbled the rebound... however, nothing was called. Yet a little pussy touch to Wade and all three officials are blowing their faces red, and popping boners.</p>
<p>Here's a sports writer's take on the jokishness of the NBA:</p>
<p><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060620%5B/url%5D">http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060620</a> </p>
<p>I tend to agree with a lot of it... especially the blip about this guy:</p>
