Heat wave: Miami evens series at 2

MIAMI — Pay attention to these NBA Finals. You're going to want to remember these games. You'll want to be able to tell your friends you remember the exact nights Dwyane Wade took his place among the greats.

In the NBA, June is the month greatness announces itself.

It's the month of Magic Johnson playing center in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's absence in the sixth — and final — game against Philadelphia in 1980.

The month of Michael Jordan shredding the Portland Trail Blazers, then shrugging as he runs back up the floor.

It's another Lakers center, Shaquille O'Neal, and his unstoppable force against Indiana, against Philadelphia, against New Jersey.

And this June, it's Dwyane Wade, surely and spectacularly rescuing the Miami Heat from the brink of collapse in Tuesday's third game, scoring 15 fourth-quarter points.

And it was Wade again showering this series with greatness in Thursday's fourth game.

With Wade scoring 36 points, including 24 in the first half, Miami tied the NBA Finals, beating the Dallas Mavericks 98-74. In the Heat's two consecutive wins, Wade has scored 78 points and made 27 of 49 shots from the field.

When he went to the free-throw line Thursday, Miami fans chanted "MVP," and, for this month, they are absolutely right.

Players are measured by the postseason. Until you get there, until you win there, you're all hype and all hope. Until you start putting together numbers and wins at this time of year, you're just so much promise.

These are the games where Wade has taken the lead in his rivalry with LeBron James. These are the games where all the hype and all the hope have coalesced into someone memorable.

Before the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, Wade was challenged by his coach, Pat Riley.

"I made a pitch about playing Detroit and the object being to be the first one in his class to win a championship," Riley said. "I remember Magic always telling Larry [Bird], 'I was first.' I like a little bit of that. Taking pride in being the first in your class to get one."

The culture has changed. The rivalries aren't as fierce as they once were. Bird and Magic had a healthy respect, but were too competitive to be close friends as players. Now Wade and James text-message each other often like classmates preparing for the senior prom.

"This is a different era," Riley said, almost wistfully, this week. "In the '60s, '70s, even the '80s, there was very little fraternizing."

What happens on the floor, however, hasn't changed. It's just as sweet, just as ferocious.

In a Game 4 the Heat had to win, the Mavericks took turns trying to defend Wade. They ran Devin Harris at him. They tried Adrian Griffin. They switched Josh Howard onto him. And like a stick of dynamite, the 6-foot-4 Wade exploded on all them.

"We haven't found a solution to deal with Wade yet," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said.

He is the most incendiary Heat.

Asked how the Mavs can stop Wade, Griffin shrugged and said, "I can't answer that."

"What can we do to slow him down?" Howard said sing-songy. "I don't know. You might want to ask Coach or the other players. He had a great night. What more can I say?"

When O'Neal left the game after being called for his second foul five minutes into the first quarter, Wade scored nine of the next 11 Miami points.

In the second quarter, Wade had eight consecutive Heat points, scoring on a drive, a three-pointer and making three free throws to stretch a 40-35 lead to 48-37. He had six consecutive points in the third quarter as Miami went in front 65-50.

He was fearless, scoring on a jump hook over 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki and taking the ball at 6-11 Erick Dampier, drawing a foul and converting both free throws.

The worry with Wade, 24, is that he plays too hard. There are concerns about his durability. He's on the floor almost as much as the Heat logo. He tumbles like a gymnast when he drives to the basket.

He's playing on a bad hip, a bad knee. He suffered from a sinus infection in the days leading up to the first game of the Finals and missed most practices.

"Hurt? I don't buy that, man," Howard said.

Often, he dribbles up the floor, limping and wincing, then shakes his defender with one sharp jab-step and swishes a jumper. Or he'll hobble over midcourt, then accelerate to the basket like a Formula One car and rise in a blink for a dunk.

"He reminds me, I don't know how many of you remember, but he has some of what [Hall of Fame running back] Jim Brown had," Riley said. "He would get up from a run and slowly walk and sort of limp into the huddle, then he'd come out and make another great run."

When the ball is in play, greatness only knows one speed.

"When [former Houston center] Hakeem Olajuwon was young and ran up and down like crazy and people wondered how long he could do that," Riley said. "I don't think he ever slowed down. I think Dwyane can be like that. Dwyane sort of knows how to fall. I hope he can last a long time."

Wade has to last. His rivalry with James, text messages notwithstanding, is just beginning.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com

DALLAS		fg	ft
min		m-a	m-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Howard	35:45	1-8	1-2	1-7	2	4	3
Nowitzki	41:07	2-14	11-13	1-9	1	2	16
Diop	17:42	1-1	3-5	1-2	0	3	5
Terry	32:52	8-18	0-1	0-1	0	2	17
DevHarris	27:34	4-8	3-3	0-0	2	3	11
Stackhouse	30:00	6-18	3-3	3-4	4	1	16
Dampier	18:25	0-1	0-0	1-4	1	5	0
Griffin	16:48	3-3	0-0	3-6	0	2	6
Armstrong	6:15	0-2	0-0	0-1	0	0	0
Daniels	4:57	0-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Van Horn	4:57	0-3	0-0	0-1	0	0	0
Powell	3:38	0-1	0-0	1-1	0	2	0
Totals		25-79	21-27	11-36	10	24	74

Percentages: FG .316, FT .778. Three-point goals: 3-22, .136 (Nowitzki 1-5, Stackhouse 1-5, Terry 1-5, Armstrong 0-1, Daniels 0-1, Van Horn 0-1, Howard 0-4). Team rebounds: 8. Team turnovers: 14 (21 PTS). Blocked shots: 3 (Dampier, Diop, Stackhouse). Turnovers: 13 (Nowitzki 4, Dev.Harris 3, Terry 3, Dampier, Daniels, Howard). Steals: 6 (Howard 2, Dampier, Nowitzki, Stackhouse, Terry). Technical Foul: Howard, 3:56 second. Flagrant foul: Stackhouse, 6:29 third.

MIAMI		fg	ft
min		m-a	m-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Walker	39:12	5-11	2-2	0-3	2	2	14
Haslem	17:56	1-2	0-0	0-2	1	5	2
O'Neal	29:59	6-8	5-10	3-13	3	4	17
Williams	31:18	1-5	3-5	0-2	6	0	6
Wade	39:38	13-23	8-9	0-6	3	4	36
Mourning	13:54	1-2	2-2	1-6	0	3	4
Posey	26:22	5-9	3-4	1-10	1	3	15
Payton	19:35	1-2	0-2	0-1	1	4	2
SAnderson	19:25	1-4	0-2	1-5	2	1	2
Kapono	1:32	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Doleac	1:09	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Totals		34-66	23-36	6-48	19	26	98

Percentages: FG .515, FT .639. Three-point goals: 7-19, .368 (Posey 2-4, Wade 2-5, Walker 2-6, Williams 1-3, S.Anderson 0-1). Team rebounds: 13. Team turnovers: 18 (15 PTS). Blocked shots: 7 (Mourning 3, O'Neal 2, Wade, Walker). Turnovers: 18 (Haslem 4, Wade 4, O'Neal 3, S.Anderson 2, Payton 2, Mourning, Posey, Williams). Steals: 7 (Haslem 2, Walker 2, Posey, Wade, Williams). Technical fouls: Defensive Three Second, 9:16 second; Defensive Three Second, 4:48 second; O'Neal, 4:18 second; Walker, 6:29 third.

Dallas	25	19	23	7 — 74
Miami	30	24	24	20 — 98

Attendance: 20,145 (19,600). Time: 2:44. Officials: Dick Bavetta, Bernie Fryer, Mike Callahan.

Mavericks vs. Heat
Best-of-7 series tied 2-2. All games on Channel 4.
Date	Result
June 8	At Dallas 90, Miami 80
June 11	At Dallas 99, Miami 85
June 13	At Miami 98, Dallas 96
June 15	At Miami 98, Dallas 74
Date	Game
Sunday	Dallas at Miami, 6 p.m.
Tuesday	Miami at Dallas, 6 p.m.
Thursday*	Miami at Dallas, 6 p.m.
*if necessary