With one more victory, the Miami Heat will claim their first NBA title.
After three straight wins on their home court, Miami can make history by knocking off the Mavericks in Dallas Tuesday in Game 6 of the NBA finals.
"Now it's our job to go into a very hostile environment and do something this franchise has never done," said Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, whose clutch shooting propelled Miami to a 101-100 come-from-behind win in Game 5 Sunday.
The Dallas Mavericks must find a way to stop Dwyane Wade if they are to keep their NBA title hopes alive. (Getty Images)
With the victory, Miami became just the second team in NBA finals history to win Games 3, 4 and 5 at home. The Detroit Pistons also turned the trick en route to their 2004 championship.
The Heat can also become the first team to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the NBA finals since the seven-game championship series went to its current format in 1985.
"We took care of business at home like we're supposed to do," said Wade. "We won three games, two of them in dramatic fashion. But we've got to win one on the road to reach our goal."
It won't be easy. The Heat have enjoyed little success in Dallas in recent years. Miami lost all three of their games in Dallas this season and haven't won at American Airlines Arena since 2002.
Dallas won the first two games of this series by double digits, taking the series opener 90-80 and Game 2 99-85.
"We know we can beat this team," said Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki.
"Obviously, we've got to approach it the way that we need to win two home games. We know we're down, our backs are against the wall and we've responded to tough losses pretty much all season long."
If Dallas is to have a chance, they'll have to stop Wade, who's averaging nearly 40 points a game in the final series.
"He's a winner," said Heat coach Pat Riley. "That's all you can say. He's just a winner."
Wade's heroics have made up for Shaquille O'Neal's ineffectiveness. O'Neal contributed 18 points in Game 5 but shot an abysmal 2-for-12 from the free-throw line.
The Mavericks preyed on this weakness throughout the contest, intentionally fouling O'Neal, whose 29.5 free throw percentage is the worst ever in the NBA finals. The strategy forced Riley to sit O'Neal on the bench for several possessions late in the game.
But instead of dwelling on his lack of scoring success, O'Neal is focusing on contributing in other ways.
"I've been in the league 13 years, I've been in every situation," O'Neal said. "I just try to do the other things well. I still shot the ball pretty well from the field. I still rebounded, still played some pretty good defence."
Dallas will have Jerry Stackhouse back in the lineup for Tuesday's game. He was suspended by the NBA for Game 5 after a flagrant foul on O'Neal during the third quarter of Game 4.
"We've got to come out in Game 6 with a controlled anger," said Jason Terry, who led Dallas in scoring in Game 5."If you're feeling any other way, then you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be in a Mavericks uniform."
If the Mavericks win Tuesday's contest, Game 7 is slated for Thursday in Dallas.
