Heat stun the Mavs in Dallas, 88-86 to lead series 2-1

Chris Bosh made a 16-foot, go-ahead jumper from the baseline with 39.6 seconds left and Haslem pestered Dirk Nowitzki the rest of the way as the Miami Heat held on for an 88-86 victory over the Dallas Mavericks for a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Recent history says this is a huge win for the Heat. The Game 3 winner in a tied Finals has won the championship all 11 times since the 2-3-2 format began in 1985.

The Heat go into Game 4 on Tuesday night with a chance to do what they did in 2006: win it all on Dallas’ floor. They’ll need to win that game and the next, on Thursday night.

With all its star power, many expected Miami to be planning a victory parade by now, especially after a solid victory in Game 1. But the Heat blew a 15-point lead in the last quarter of Game 2, and nearly did it again this time, coughing up a 14-point lead.

Miami recovered to lead 81-74 with 6:31 left. Everyone knew Nowitzki would drive Dallas’ rally, but it didn’t matter. He still scored 12 straight points— six free throws, a layup, a dunk and a tough jumper—tying it at 86.

With Jason Terry missing a chance to put the Mavericks ahead, Bosh nailed his clutch jumper from the left side, a huge thrill for the Dallas native who’d been 0-8 in his hometown.

The Mavericks, of course, went back to Nowitzki on its last two chances, and his streak ran out. He tried passing out of a Haslem-led double team and threw the ball into the stands, then hit the back iron on a jumper over Haslem as time ran out.