Mavericks 112, Heat 103

Both offenses exploded last night, each surpassing the century mark for the first time in the series. Miami's 52.9% shooting was impressive, but Dallas' 56.5% was just a bit more so. The Heat spent most of the game without Wade, then essentially spent the 4th quarter without LeBron.

If Dallas didn't win this one, I felt like the series would be over. Down 3-2 going back to Miami would have been too tough to overcome. And while the Mavs still have to win one more game, they needed this game last night.

Dirk Nowitski had another stellar performance with 29 points. But the hype around him is a little surprising. I won't go so far as to say he's overrated. I think maybe he was underrated before this run by the Mavs. Now people feel the need to exaggerate. Still, he is carrying Dallas on those German shoulders.

It was a team effort for the Mavs, though. Jason Terry scored 21 off the bench, Jose Juan Barea added 17, Kidd had 13, and Chandler had 13. The Mavericks hit 68.4$ of their three pointers.

LeBron James had a triple-double with 17 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. But he only scored 2 points in the 4th. That night kind of sums up what his critics think of his career.

Game 6 Sunday night.

-The Commodore

Odom To Meet With Heat

Just when it seems like the Lakers had the upper hand....

"The Miami Heat's pursuit of free agent Lamar Odom has escalated in recent days. Now, reigning scoring champion Dwyane Wade reportedly will have a chance to close the deal in person. Although Wade is dealing with forces beyond his control, he usually closes the deal. Reporter Jim Hill of the CBS-TV affiliate in Los Angeles reports that Odom was scheduled to meet with Wade and Pat Riley on Monday in hopes of finalizing the talented sixth man's departure from the defending champion Lakers. This comes after Wade escalated his recruitment of Odom on his Twitter account over the weekend, urging Odom to "come back to where it started for both of us (Sportsline)."

Everyone seems to be doing what the Celtics did to get Wallace. It will be interesting to see if this works. I think it has a shot since the Lakers have been very back and forth with Odom. They made him an offer then pulled it, now it sounds like they are back after him. Odom has a house in Miami, and they want him there, which could be a big difference. The question is if they can get to the right number, and if Odom really think Miami has a shot in the ever more powerful Eastern Conference.

Heat Offer Wade Extension

"When Dwyane Wade checked his cell phone shortly after midnight Sunday, he got perhaps the most predictable text message of his life. After all, it hardly classifies as stunning news that the Miami Heat want to keep him. Wade said Heat president Pat Riley texted those sentiments very early Sunday, in what amounts to a largely ceremonial move. The Heat had to wait until 12:01 a.m. on July 12 before they could formally offer an extension to the reigning NBA scoring champion, and Wade said Riley didn't wait too long before pressing the send button (Sportsline)."

With the NBA lower the salary cap next season the big free agent class of 2010 may be forced to sign extensions. It is really a sign of the times that NBA franchises are really having to cut back. The fallout will be players having to stick with teams longer then they thought they would instead of testing the "open market". Much like baseball we might see free agents signing for a lot less then they are worth (just like Abreu in the MLB). Anyways, I always thought Wade would stay with the Heat, but it will be interesting to see what guys like Lebron and Bosh will do...