Marty Burns' NBA Finals Fast Breaks
Game 6: Heat 95, Mavericks 92
Making The Grade
Miami Heat
	Jason Williams, G 30 min., 3 points (1-7 FG, 1-7 3PT), 7 assists, 2 turnovers Like Antoine Walker and James Posey, couldn't seem to buy a 3-pointer all night. But he led the team in assists, and now has a championship ring to wave at his boyhood pal Randy Moss. C
	Dwyane Wade, G 45 min., 36 points (10-18 FG, 16-21 FT), 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks Finals MVP led the way once again. Started slowly against Dallas double teams, but caught fire at end of first quarter to get team back in game. Scored 11 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth, including four big free throws in final 26.2 seconds. A+
	Antoine Walker, F 34 min., 14 points (6-17 FG, 0-6 3PT, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds, 2 assists Led his team's 2-of-18 showing from beyond the arc. But his passionate third quarter (10 points and eight boards) helped set the tone for a Heat team that refused to lose. Love him or hate him, he gets to shimmy. B
	Udonis Haslem, F 41 min., 17 points (8-13 FG, 1-4 FT), 10 rebounds, 2 steals The Heat's unsung hero. Overcame that sore shoulder to record double-double while making Dirk Nowitzki work for most of his points. Only Miami player to get off to good start, hit his jumper all night and came up with enormous offensive rebound and put-back to give Heat 91-88 lead late in game. A
	Shaquille O'Neal, C 30 min., 9 points (4-11 FG, 1-4 FT), 12 rebounds, 1 assist Didn't play his best game, and might have been Heat's second-best center on the night (behind Alonzo Mourning). But Big Fella hit boards and played unselfishly once again to earn that fourth NBA championship ring to wave at Kobe Bryant. B-
	The Bench 60 min., 16 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks Much-maligned crew came up big again. Mourning (eight points, six rebounds, five blocks) helped fuel key 13-2 run to close first half and get Heat back in the game. Also had several highlight plays, including a monster block on Josh Howard and a running dunk on a behind-the-back pass from Williams. Posey (six points, five rebounds, two steals) added defense and a few big shots. Gary Payton, despite fourth-quarter turnover he got because he was too busy arguing with the refs instead of watching the ball, chipped in as well to finally snag his elusive NBA ring. B+
	Pat Riley, Coach Slick-haired maestro pulled all the right strings. Kept his team calm during Mavs' 26-12 start, twice using timeouts to stop Dallas runs. Adjusted to Dallas' zone in second half by getting his team to move the ball and find the open man. Now has a fifth NBA championship to move into third place all time among coaches. Best of all, no longer has to worry about being haunted by ghost of Stan Van Gundy. A-
Dallas Mavericks
	Devin Harris, G 26 min., 6 points (2-4 FG, 2-3 FT), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers Got off to good start, chasing down loose balls, drawing fouls and helping limit Wade to two field goal attempts in first 10 minutes. But vaporized faster than you can say Jerry Stackhouse, and wound up with pretty much same stat line as after opening quarter. C
	Jason Terry, G 43 min., 16 points (7-25 FG, 2-11 3PT), 5 assists, 2 steals Led Mavs in assists and finished second in scoring, but Jet almost ventured into John Starks territory in this one. After hitting first four shots, missed 18 of next 21, including all seven in the fourth quarter and the Mavs' final game-tying attempt with 2.9 seconds left. D
	Josh Howard, F 30 min., 14 points (5-16 FG, 0-2 3PT, 4-4 FT), 12 rebounds, 4 steals Came out on fire, but disappeared over middle stretches while suffering through 2-of-9 shooting drought. Still, his headband-popping defense all night kept the Mavs in the game and his fourth-quarter effort (eight points, six boards) was exemplary. B
	Dirk Nowitzki, F 47 min., 29 points (10-22 FG, 1-2 3PT, 8-8 FT), 15 rebounds, 2 assists Big German wasn't at his best, but deserved better. Led Mavs in scoring and rebounding. Helped stake Dallas to good start. Tallied just two points in fourth, but consistently found the open man. Only Erick Dampier's fumbled pass and bogus call on Wade at end ruined his otherwise strong night. A-
	DeSagana Diop, C 16 min., 2 points (1-3 FG, 0-1 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 blocks Another solid-but-not-spectacular performance in limited minutes before giving way to Dampier. Had a nice block on Wade early in the game. Despite loss, just glad to have career reborn in Dallas after four wasted years in Cleveland. C
	The Bench 61 min., 12 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal Outscored Heat counterparts 25-16 and outrebounded them 15-12, but it wasn't enough. Stackhouse (12 points, four rebounds, three assists) didn't shoot well, but provided his usual hustle and energy early and helped keep Mavs afloat in fourth with eight points. Marquis Daniels (12 points, two rebounds) provided an enormous spark in the second half. Even Dampier (eight rebounds) chipped in, though his fumbled pass from Nowitzki might have been the game's biggest play. B
	Avery Johnson, Coach Wisely switched up defense to focus more on Wade, used Howard as "rover" to bother Shaq and employed zone defense to positive effect in third. But Little General never could find ways to stymie Wade or get Dallas' offense going, and it cost his team dearly in Game 6 -- as well as the entire series. C

Fast Breaks Continued