One game separated the Heat and Mavs during the regular season, one season-ending win by Miami that now provides the home-court cushion in the NBA final.
Little would anyone realize that a late-season visit to Toronto when Miami rested its Big 3 could turn out to be the difference in a championship series that amounts to a coin toss.
The Mavs won their two-game series with the Heat, two wins that has no bearing on the best-of-seven final that tips off Tuesday night in Miami.
Both the Heat and Mavs have lost three times this spring, two teams that ended the regular season tied atop the NBA for most road wins.
During Miami’s run to the championship round, the Heat has yet to lose at home, while Dallas has won five road games in succession.
But with home court comes the inevitable 50-50 call that tends to go in favour of the home team, a luxury Miami would not possess had it not beat the Raptors 97-79 in the season finale, a game many viewed as meaningless.
Eddie House lit up the Raptors by pouring in 18 first-quarter points en route to a 35-point night.
Toronto native Jamaal Magloire would haul down 19 rebounds in 29 minutes, while Juwan Howard added 18 points.
Miami would end the season with 58 wins and the No. 2 seed in the East, while Dallas would post a 57-win season to lock down the No. 3 seed in the West.
One of the few highlights for the 22-win Raptors was a victory in Dallas when the visitors took advantage of a Mavs team that was missing Dirk Nowitzki, a night when Ed Davis became a revelation.
Bosh on the rebound
The former face of the Raptors faced plenty of questions in the aftermath of Miami’s Game 3 beatdown in Boston during the Eastern semifinal, a night when Chris Bosh went 1-of-6 from the field, produced five rebounds and turned the ball over twice in 30 ugly minutes. Here’s a look at Bosh’s numbers since that embarrassment.
Bosh Post-Boston Game 3
Games Pts FG% FT% Rebounds
7 21.4 .563 .913 8.70
Bosh’s Post-Season Averages
Games Pts FG% FT% Rebounds
15 18.6 .503 .832 8.90
