DALLAS: Coughing and wheezing, worn out from hardly sleeping the night before, Dirk Nowitzki somehow summoned energy for a late surge that led the Dallas Mavericks to an 86-83 win over the Miami Heat Tuesday, squaring the NBA Finals series at 2-2. The German giant fought through a sinus infection and everything else that ailed him and his team to power a 21-9 run over the final 10:12, lifting the Mavericks to a memorable victory. He scored 10 of his 21 points — including a driving right-handed layup that spun in off the backboard with 14.4 seconds left to put Dallas up by two — and grabbed five of his 11 rebounds in the final period as Dallas pulled off its second stunning finish this series. “Just battle it out,” Nowitzki said, sniffing throughout his post-game interview with his warmup jacket zipped all the way up. “This is the Finals. You have to go out there and compete and try your best for your team. So that's what I did.” The Mavs avoided going down 3-1, a deficit no team has ever overcome in the Finals, and guaranteed the series will return to Miami. Game 5 is Thursday in Dallas, and Nowitzki vowed to be ready. “There's no long term,” Nowitzki said. “I'll be all right Thursday. Hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight, take some meds and be ready to go Thursday.” Nowitzki wasn't as dominant as Michael Jordan when he scored 38 points despite a fever in Game 5 of the 1997 Finals — but it was that kind of performance. If the Mavericks wind up winning their first championship, this performance will go down in NBA lore, topping his effort in Game 2, when he bounced back from a torn finger tendon to score the final nine points in Dallas' 22-5 rally. By comparison, consider how meek a healthy LeBron James played Tuesday. The Miami behemoth scored only eight points, ending a double-figure scoring streak of 433 consecutive games, regular season and postseason. It was the first time in 90 playoff games that he scored so few points. He made only 3 of 11 shots — a tip-in, a 15-foot jumper and a breakaway dunk. Not only did he not score in the fourth quarter, he took only one shot while playing all 12 minutes. “I've got to do a better job of being more assertive offensively,” said James, who nonetheless contributed nine rebounds and seven assists. “I'm confident in my ability. It's just about going out there and knocking them down.” Dwyane Wade led Miami with 32 points, but missed a free throw with 30.1 seconds left and fumbled an inbounds pass with 6.7 seconds left. He knocked the ball back to Mike Miller for a potential tying 3-pointer, but the hurried shot wasn't even close to hitting the rim. Dallas players savored the moment, except for Nowitzki, who walked off with head bowed, ready for a hot shower and a warm bed. The Heat seemed to have taken control when they led 74-65, their biggest lead of the night. But Dallas went to a zone and Miami struggled. Jason Terry made consecutive baskets, and the surge was on. Terry ended up capping it with two free throws with 6.7 seconds left that forced Miami to need a 3-pointer to tie. On a night they most needed to take the pressure off Nowitzki, Dallas finally got a balanced scoring attack. Terry had 17, Shawn Marion 16 and Chandler had 13 points and 16 rebounds.
