'Basketball gods' didn't let Dwyane Wade FT fall
That was Wade’s explanation a free throw that would have knotted the score with 30.1 seconds remaining in the Mavs’ series-evening Game 4 win.
“It wasn't because I wasn't ready for the moment or haven't been in that moment,” Wade said. “The basketball gods just had other plans.”
Oh, he’s been in that moment, as Mavericks fans remember all too well. The man shot 97 free throws in six games during the Heat’s 2006 Finals triumph over Dallas. A whopping 46 of those came in the last two games, including the deciding point in Game 5 on one of the most controversial foul calls on NBA history.
It’s understandable if the people of Dallas believe the basketball gods owe them. And there couldn’t have been a better scenario for payback.
When Wade misses a clutch Finals free throw in Dallas, it definitely feels like fate.
Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas.com- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
Marc Stein
Marc Stein began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 as Senior NBA Writer. He also makes regular appearances on "SportsCenter," "NBA Shootaround," "NBA Fastbreak," "NBA Coast To Coast," ESPNEWS, ESPN "First Take" and ESPN Radio.
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TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Dirk Nowitzki
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | S. Marion | 7.8 | ||||||||||
| Assists | D. Collison | 5.1 | ||||||||||
| Steals | D. Collison | 1.2 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | E. Brand | 1.3 | ||||||||||
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