Dwyane Wade scored 43 points, including two free throws with 1.9 seconds left in overtime, for the Miami Heat to beat the Dallas Mavericks 101-100 and grab a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals on Sunday.
Wade's free throws gave him a finals-record 21 and capped perhaps the most memorable game of this remarkably tight postseason.
Miami could clinch its first NBA championship on Tuesday in Game 6 at Dallas, but every game so far has gone to the home team.
PHOTO: AFP
"We can smell it," Wade said. "Dallas plays well at home but we are a confident bunch so we'll see what happens."
Game 7, if necessary, will be on Thursday in Dallas.
When the Mavericks' final shot -- because Josh Howard mistakenly called an early timeout, all they could manage was a half-court heave by Devin Harris -- was off the mark, streamers fell from the top of AmericanAirlines Arena, hosting its final game of the season.
"I told the guys, `The job is not done yet,'" Miami's Shaquille O'Neal said. "We've still got to go to a hostile arena in Dallas and take care of business. And I look forward to doing that."
When it ended, Dallas owner Mark Cuban ran onto the floor, complaining about the final 2 seconds when there was confusion over Dallas' final timeout.
Cuban, wearing a blue jersey bearing the name of suspended Dallas reserve Jerry Stackhouse, stood with his hands on his hips in disbelief as the Mavericks headed to the locker room to begin getting ready for Game 6.
Wade made 21-of-25 free throws, matching Dallas' total, and came through again when the Heat needed their shooting star most.
After Nowitzki's jumper with 9.1 seconds to go gave the Mavericks a 100-99 lead, Wade took an inbounds pass, weaved and dribbled his way seemingly all over Florida and was fouled on a drive to the basket by Nowitzki.
Wade made the first, and the officials awarded Dallas a timeout even though Mavericks coach Avery Johnson was arguing that he didn't want one until Wade's second attempt. The officials huddled and said the Mavs had asked for a timeout and gave them their last one.
"We gave the signal, `Second free throw, timeout.' One of our players was saying timeout. I said, `Yeah, after the second one,'" Johnson said.
"Pretty much most people who have ever been involved in the NBA for 20, 30 years, know we wouldn't want one anyway with only one timeout," he said. "So we were pretty dumbfounded that that couldn't get relayed."
Crew chief Joe Crawford, speaking for the officials, said: "Josh Howard goes to Joe DeRosa and not only once, but twice asks for timeout. Forced to call it, simple as that."
The timeout took away Dallas' ability to inbounds the ball at halfcourt, costing them 45 precious feet. Wade then knocked down his second free throw, and when Harris' shot was way off, this series had its latest controversy.
On the way to the locker room, Nowitzki kicked a stationary bike and Cuban spent another 10 minutes pleading to anyone who would listen.
The Heat, who finished 10-1 at home in these playoff, are now one win away from that victory parade down Biscayne Boulevard that O'Neal promised when he signed with the Heat.
O'Neal scored 18 points with 12 rebounds, but he was just 2-for-12 from the free-throw line.
"I really wanted to hit them," O'Neal said. "They felt good leaving my hand. But, you know, just didn't go in today. But Dwyane Wade had a fabulous game. He stuck up for me. I told him that I owe him one."
Jason Terry had 35 points for the Mavericks. Howard added 25 and Nowitzki 20.
For the second time in three games, Wade was unstoppable in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points on every shot in his personal playbook. His 18-foot jumper gave the Heat a 91-89 lead with 1:08 left, but Nowitzki, who had just missed Dallas' first free throw after 18 in a row, knocked down a 14-footer.
Wade finally missed on his next attempt, and Dallas capitalized as Nowitzki drew O'Neal on a double team and made a nice pass down low to Erick Dampier, whose dunk gave the Mavericks a 93-91 lead with 10.1 seconds to go.
Wade wasn't done, not even close.
He drove the right side, got his body tight with Adrian Griffin, and pushed off just enough to get space and banked in a 10-footer with 2.8 seconds to go to tie it 93-93 and rock the arena once again.
Dallas had a final chance, but Terry, triple-teamed by Wade, O'Neal and James Posey misfired from just beyond the line before the horn sounded and a Game 5 that had it all had at least another five minutes.
Dallas was 18-for-19 from the free-throw line in the first four quarters, and went 3-for-6 from the line in overtime.
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