The Mavericks dominated the Heat in Game 2 of the NBA Finals last night, and in case you didn't watch the game, it was former Piston Jerry Stackhouse who blew the game wide open in the final minute of the second quarter. With the Mavs nursing a modest six-point lead, Stack simply took over, draining three three-pointers and hitting a foul shot in the span of 77 seconds to single-handedly power a 10-0 run, giving the Mavs a 16-point lead heading into halftime.
Stack finished with 19 points (6-11 shooting, including 4-5 from three-point land) in 30 minutes, second behind Dirk Nowitzki's team-leading 26 points. The Mavs went on to win by 14, but considering they were nursing a 27-point lead at one time, it was more of a blowout than the final score suggests.
Aside from watching Stackhouse explode, what was most fun was watching Shaquille O'Neal relegated to an afterthought in Miami's offense. Facing a barrage of double-teams everytime he touched the ball, the big lug was held to five attempts, and as a result scored a career playoff low five points with six boards in 28 minutes. Erick Dampier, often the victim of Shaq's barbs over the years, came off the bench for Dallas to chip in six points and 13 boards. Is Shaq upset at his lack of scoring opportunities? Probably, but we can't say for sure considering he ducked out of the locker room early to avoid talking to reporters -- drawing a $10,000 league fine in the process. (As an aside, this isn't the first time Shaq has been punk'd)
With Dallas holding a 2-0 lead, the series moves to Miami for the next three games. Do you think the Heat will win at least two games to send it back to Dallas, or should the Mavs pack to champagne and plan for a South Beach championship celebration? Vote in the poll on the right and tell us in the comments.
Mavs 99, Heat 85 box score [ESPN]
O'Neal, Heat fined after he skips postgame interview [AP]
Shaquille O’Neal Gets Punk’d [Hoops Addict]