The Miami Heat were in a giving mood on Christmas, dropping into the American Airlines Center and giving the Dallas Mavericks a holly-jolly beat down on the day that they raised their banner from last year’s NBA Finals.
The final score saw the Heat atop 105-94, but this was not an 11-point game.
Miami was up by as much as 35 during the contest, while leading by 15 points after the first quarter and taking a 21-point lead into half time.
A late surge by the Dallas reserves made the final score seem more respectable, but for those that watched the whole game they know that the Mavericks were nowhere in contention.
Dallas just seemed dead. Little to no energy or determination to compete against the dangerous Heat squad.
Some say that the Mavericks were not ready due to the lockout and that is why they played so flat-footed, while others say that the Miami Heat are simply the better team and proved that on Sunday. I believe that it is a mixture of the two.
Sure, the Mavericks did not have the normal offseason and training camp that they would have had if there was no lockout, but you know what, the Heat had the same amount of time and they seemed to do just fine on Christmas.
The Mavs may not have been ready, they may not have had time to integrate all their new pieces into the scheme, but let’s not miss the big picture here.
The Miami Heat came out and proved that — at this time — they are the better, more talented, and more prepared team.
The Heat absolutely throttled the defending champions on their own floor and embarrassed Dallas in front of their fans.
Lebron James finished the game with 37 points, 10 rebounds and six assists — a relatively effortless 37 points might I add. Dwyane Wade added 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
These two put on a show. But what really won the game for the Heat was their relentless team defense. A defense that sparked countless fast break points that led to Miami’s 35 point lead.
The Heat had runs of 12-0, 15-1, and 14-0 over the course of the game. They were simply more athletic and assertive on Sunday.
The younger legs of Miami really proved to be the difference maker, the Mavs simply could not keep up. The Heat had several fast-break dunks that came at ease. Fast-break points such as these are really what can pull one team away in a game.
Dallas was certainly missing Tyson Chandler down low in the paint, a big tall presence in the center that was missing for the Mavericks on Christmas.
Dallas will figure it out and get back on a winning page, but on Sunday they looked like the old, run-down team that everyone thought they would be last year.
And if they can integrate their new pieces and mimic what they did last season, then we might see a similar result in the postseason.
But as of now it is quite obvious that Miami is the team to beat. Their thrashing of Dallas makes them the most dangerous team in the league.
They blew the defending champs out of the water and stepped up big time on the big stage, now let’s just see if they can finish it out this season and get that title that the “Big 3” have been craving.
Tyler Rollason is a Winder-Barrow High School graduate and mass communications major at the University of West Georgia. You can e-mail comments about this column to tyrollason@yahoo.com.
