The 2011 NBA Finals are set
The 2011 NBA Finals are set. Miami Heat’s road to the 2011 NBA Finals: A fan’s take.The Miami Heat and their All-Star Trio have advanced to the 2011 NBA Finals where they will face Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and the Dallas Mavericks. Chris Bosh(notes), LeBron James(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes) planned to establish a Miami Heat dynasty when they decided to join forces in South Beach. If they win four more games, they will become NBA Champions in just their first season together.
Five seasons ago, both teams made their first appearance in the NBA Finals. Wade and the Heat defeated Nowitzki and the Mavericks to earn the 2006 NBA Championship. The second Heat-Mavericks Finals will begin Tuesday, May 31.
Before the 2011 NBA Finals begin, let's review how the Heat won the East.
With Miami ahead in the series 3-0 and holding an 82-76 lead with just 95 seconds remaining in Game 4, a Heat sweep seemed to be a foregone conclusion. But during those closing seconds, Miami allowed the 76ers to score 10 points and failed to score a single point of their own. The result was an 86-82 Heat loss. Miami recovered from their first playoff loss with a 97-91 Game 5 victory to close the series.
After winning the first two games of the series at home, the Heat fell to the Celtics 97-81 in Game 3. In Game 4, the Celtics inbounded the ball with the 19 seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 86. Miami's defense answered the call and forced overtime by preventing Boston from executing their offensive set. In overtime, the Heat outscored the Celtics 12-4 and won the game 98-90. Miami closed the series with a 97-87 Game 5 win.
In Game 1, the Heat allowed an opponent 100 points for the first time in these playoffs, and the Bulls bludgeoned them 103-82. For the remainder of the series, Miami held Chicago to an average of 83.25 points per game. Miami snatched home-court advantage from the Bulls with an 85-75 Game 2 victory at the United Center. In Game 4, with 8 seconds remaining on the clock, the game tied 85-85 and the ball in Derrick Rose's(notes) hands, Chicago had an opportunity to tie the series 2-2. But Rose could not get by LeBron James and missed a contested 18-foot jumper as time expired. In the ensuing overtime Miami outscored Chicago 16-8 and took a 3-1 series lead. Late in Game 5, the Bulls had a 12-point lead, 77-65, with 3:12 remaining on the clock, and it seemed like the Bulls would extend the series to a sixth game. Once again, the Heat's defense showed its mettle. Miami held Chicago to just three points in the final three minutes while scoring 18 points of their own. The result was an 83-80 series-clinching victory.
The Heat are now four wins away from claiming the 2011 NBA Championship. Only Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks stand between the Miami Heat All-Star Trio and the completion of their first step of establishing a Miami Heat dynasty.
Mark is a lifelong fan of the NBA who has loved the game of basketball ever since his first trip to an NBA arena. Mark has watched more basketball games than anyone can count and has more than 100 articles about the NBA published on the internet.
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