All-Star Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki again came up big down the stretch for the home side, scoring 15 of his game-high 34 points in a tense fourth quarter including 10 straight, but his attempt to force overtime was smothered by Udonis Haslem at the buzzer.
It was a crucial game for both sides to win after the Mavericks tied the series 1-1 in Miami on Friday (AEST), and now the Heat have history on their side in their push for a second title and a first since beating Dallas in 2006.
Since the NBA Finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985, 11 series have been tied at one game apiece after the opening matches, and every team who won Game Three went on to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Once again Dallas showed its never-say-die attitude, erasing a 13-point margin in the third quarter with a 15-2 run that levelled things at 57-57 and then outscoring the Heat 12-5 over a four-minute period in the fourth to tie it up at 84-84.
"This is the toughest offense we've played all year as far as how many guys they put on the floor that can make plays, not only for themself but for others," LeBron James told reporters.
"They're an unbelievable shooting team and they make you stay in tune. You can never relax or they make you pay.
"But our defence is always trying to extend offenses further than where they usually start, that's just our defence."
Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade was at his attacking best in the first half but went quiet after the half-time break, finishing with 29 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
James had another subdued night with 17 points and nine assists, while Chris Bosh shot better than he had in the first two games but still needed 18 shots for his 18 points, and grabbed just three rebounds.
After his defensive lapse let Nowitzki in for the game-winning lay-up on Friday, Bosh redeemed himself with a go-ahead bucket of his own off a James dish to put the Heat back in the lead for the final time on Monday.
From there the Heat's tight defence forced a Dallas turnover and, while the resulting trip up the court for Miami did not convert to points, it ran enough time off the clock that Nowitzki was forced to rush his potential game-tying shot.
"Obviously we have a lot of confidence in our team defence but it was a man-to-man defence right there," Wade said.
"It was Udonis putting his chest in front.
"We had a lot of confidence coming out of the huddle that we wanted to win this game right now, on the defensive end and get the stop, and even more confidence than if we were down two or tied and at the offensive end.
"[Udonis] ... wanted that challenge last game and he wasn't able to be put in that position, but put him back in that position this time and at least make it tough [for Nowitzki]."
James had vowed to be more aggressive in driving to the basket in Game Three after earning just six free throws in the first two contests, but it was Dallas that enjoyed more opportunities at the line, especially late in the game.
The Mavs reached the bonus with 3:21 to play and Nowitzki knocked down two freebies on consecutive trips to the line that cut the Heat lead to two points.
After Shawn Marion blocked James at the other end, Nowitzki drained a two-pointer to level things at 84 and then answered Wade's 20-footer with another two of his own.
The officiating appeared to be a sore point for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who was seen on the sidelines remonstrating more than once down the stretch at off-the-ball fouls called on his team.
MVP-calibre
While the Heat loaded up in a big way last summer with the acquisitions of James and Bosh, Wade has been the stand-out in his quest for a second championship ring.
The 2006 Finals MVP is averaging 29 points per game this series so far on 56.6 per cent shooting as well as 8.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
He had 19 in the first half on Monday night and while he scored just three in the third quarter, Wade finished strong with seven points in the final period.
Monday marked Wade's first win at the American Airlines Centre since Game Six in 2006 when Miami completed its incredible turnaround from 0-2 down in the series to win its maiden NBA title.
While Wade had Shaquille O'Neal to complete the one-two punch in that campaign, he has even more star power to help out this time around.
Mario Chalmers' superb playoffs touch continued, the back-up guard going 4-of-8 from the field and 4-from-6 from downtown to finish with 12 points.
All four of his three-point buckets came at crucial times to sink the boot into Dallas, but none of them was more impressive than his bomb from a spot closer to the half-court line than the arc to beat the first-quarter buzzer.
The Heat again benefited from Haslem's energy in the paint, but he got himself in foul trouble and was restricted to just six points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Dallas' bench was effective again, with Jason Terry scoring 15 and JJ Barea contributing some cagey defence on Chalmers and Mike Bibby, although he missed some open looks and generally had a tough time offensively.
The Mavericks were dealt a blow before the opening tip with Brendan Haywood, part of the home team's much-vaunted interior defence, ruled out with a hip flexor at game-time.
Haywood's absence meant the onus was on Tyson Chandler to protect the paint but also stay out of foul trouble, which he managed to do whilst grabbing 11 rebounds (seven offensive) and blocking three shots.
Rarely-used third string centre Ian Mahinmi was unable to provide much in the way of back-up for Chandler, playing just eight minutes and checking out with five fouls, although his two free throws down the stretch helped cut the deficit to one.
Miami will be seeking to push Dallas to the brink of elimination in Game Four on Wednesday morning (AEST).
Tags: sport, basketball, united-states First posted June 6, 2011 12:55:00
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