NBA Finals: Mavs handle Heat in Game 2

DALLAS – Jerry Stackhouse and Josh Howard led the Dallas Mavericks past the Miami Heat four points at a time. Shaquille O'Neal managed just five points in the worst playoff game of his career.

Any way you add up those numbers, the marvelous Mavs are halfway to their first NBA title.

Stackhouse scored 19 points and Howard had 15 — and both converted four-point plays during the decisive runs in Dallas' 99-85 victory in Game 2 of the NBA finals on Sunday night, sending the Mavericks to Miami with a two-game lead.

Dirk Nowitzki's supporting cast made the biggest plays in this one-sided romp, but the German star shook off his Game 1 jitters to get 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Mavericks.

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Miami and a two-game deficit has only been overcome twice in NBA finals history.

Led by Stackhouse, Howard and Jason Terry, who had 16 points, Dallas' offense was effortless and exciting. The Mavs buried the disorganized Heat with waves of points that included a 27-6 run in the second quarter. Both Stackhouse and Howard even converted four-point plays — the elusive act of hitting 3-pointers while getting fouled. There were just six four-point plays in NBA finals history before the game, and Dallas was the first team ever to get two in the same game.

But the Mavericks did something much more historic and important on the other end: They limited O'Neal, the three-time NBA finals MVP with five previous trips to the series, to the fewest points in his playoff career. In 190 career playoff games, Shaq finished with a single-digit point total just three times.

O'Neal scored on the Heat's very first possession while being fouled, but he missed the ensuing free throw — and then went 201/2 minutes without another basket. Shaq's frustration grew with every possession, contributing to his 1-of-7 free throw shooting after going 1-for-9 in the opener.

O'Neal, who was 2-for-5 from the field — both career playoff lows — spent the final 15 minutes on the bench after Dallas went ahead by 25 points.

Dwyane Wade scored 16 of his 23 points after halftime on 6-of-19 shooting, and was almost as invisible as his bigger teammate for long stretches against Howard's defense. Antoine Walker scored 20 points, hitting four 3-pointers.

Miami trimmed the lead to 12 points in the final minutes with Alonzo Mourning in the middle, but Nowitzki carried Dallas to another festive finish after a 90-80 victory in Game 1.

Only Boston (1969) and Portland (1977) have rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win the finals. Unless the Heat figure out a solution to the group malaise that's left Wade on the perimeter and kept the ball away from O'Neal, their season will be over in a few days.

Stackhouse scored 10 points in the final 1:19 of the first half, capping the first dominant run of the series. The veteran gunner, who now embraces a supporting role in Dallas after starring for worse teams in other cities, hit three 3-pointers and converted his four-point play to elate the crowd.

Dallas also played the best defensive half in franchise playoff history, holding Miami to 34 points in the first half — after limiting the Heat to 36 in the second half of Game 1. Coach Avery Johnson surely won't credit his defense for those numbers — not after watching the Heat's discombobulated effort on offense The Mavericks even surprised themselves with their effort against O'Neal.

After holding O'Neal to 17 points in the opener, they spent the last two days anticipated a Shaq-splosion: Before the game, Johnson said he had "350 pounds on my mind," referring to Shaq's rumored weight.

After struggling to score in the final three quarters of Game 1, the Heat vowed to get the ball to O'Neal early and often. They only got it half-right: Shaq scored while drawing a foul on Miami's first possession, but missed the ensuing free throw — and then didn't get another field goal for an incredible 201/2 minutes.

O'Neal's frustration visibly grew with nearly every possession, and he passed out of Dallas' double-teams almost before they arrived. His teammates couldn't score consistently around him, and Wade's frustration showed with a technical foul for the normally mild-mannered star.

After setting an embarrassing NBA finals record with their 7-for-19 performance on free throws in Game 1, the Heat made eight in the first quarter alone — but missed six. Fans taunted O'Neal from the opening minute, holding up dozens of signs shaped like bricks behind the Miami basket.