National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Miami 92, Dallas 84
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #29 Steve Javie, #55 Bill Kennedy
Attendance: 20003

LeBron James scored 24 points and Dwyane Wade added 22 as the Miami Heat upended the visiting Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.

Miami's Big Three proved to be too much for the Mavericks to handle as the Heat jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven. Wade, James and Chris Bosh combined for 65 points and 28 rebounds for Miami, which improved to 9-0 at home in the postseason.

Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and Shawn Marion added 16 for the Mavericks, who shot just 37 percent from the field - their worst showing of the playoffs.

Game 2 goes Thursday night in Miami.

Dallas led the defensive struggle 44-43 at the half and quickly extended the advantage to open the third, with DeShawn Stevenson capping a 7-0 run on a 3-pointer with no Miami defender in sight. The Heat whittled the deficit over the next several minutes and eventually went back in front on a James 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 1:12 left in the third.

James added an off-balance 3-pointer from the right elbow as time expired - his fourth long-range shot without a miss - to put Miami up 65-61 after three.

Wade's pull-up jumper gave the Heat a six-point edge early in the fourth, and a long jumper with just over four minutes left increased the lead to 77-70. He added a block on a Marion attempt under a minute later, then knocked down a 3-pointer over Jason Kidd's outstretched arm on the next possession.

James put an exclamation point on the stretch with an emphatic dunk with 2:47 left. He was fouled and made the ensuing free throw for a double-digit lead the Heat wouldn't relinquish.
Top Game Performances
 
Dallas   Miami
Dirk Nowitzki 27 Scoring LeBron James 24
Jason Kidd 6 Assists Dwyane Wade 6
Shawn Marion 10 Rebounds Dwyane Wade 10
Dirk Nowitzki 12 Free Throws Made Chris Bosh 9
Peja Stojakovic 2 Steals Mike Bibby 2
Brendan Haywood 3 Blocks Dwyane Wade 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Dallas 84 37.3 9-22 25-32 18 36 8 6 11
Miami 92 38.8 11-24 19-26 20 46 4 5 12
Upcoming Games
  • Miami will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Heat have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.