Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report
The Dallas Mavericks still feel the third-degree burn sustained from the 2006 NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat.
(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
Falling in six games against the Heat, a vengeful Dallas squad looks to every matchup against Miami as a bit of revenge, though nothing measures up to holding the Larry O'Brien trophy.
"Everyday," sixth man Jason Terry said when asked if he still thinks about the Finals loss. "The fire is definitely brewing in our belly, so we'll see what happens when we get down there."
Dallas still admittedly feels haunted by its past demons at Miami's American Airlines Arena. As they head into Miami on Friday night, the Ghost of Christmas past has reappeared for the Mavericks.
"Going down there, the weather is good, but getting back in that arena just brings back old memories. I don't think we'll ever get that taste out of our mouths until we get a championship down here in Dallas."
The Mavs can't erase all of those old memories with a win in Miami, but another road victory would be nice to have just the same. Dallas is 8-4 thus far away from the American Airlines Center this season, showing an ability to battle both home oppositions and hostile crowds.
"We're able to focus in," Terry said. "We come in, there's no pressure, and we kind of relish the moment of being in someone else's arena and really putting it to them."
If Dallas is to claim their ninth road win of the season, stopping the Heat's Dwyane Wade is a must.
"(Wade) is the major focal point of their team and he can do so many things," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "You want to try to contain him, you have to have help ready and you want to try to keep him off the free throw line as much as possible. He's a great player and he's playing at the stratospheric level right now."
Keeping Wade off the foul line is easier said than done. The NBA's fifth leading scorer (27.0 ppg) attempts a league-high 11.2 free throws a contest.
"(Foul line) are bad words around here," Terry said after Wade reached the charity stripe countless times on controversial calls in the Finals series. "Those words and D-Wade together is not a good mix. I think for us, we just want to contain him and make him take tough shots."
The Mavericks are also hoping to counter Wade with a heavy dose of a healthy Josh Howard, after the swingman returned to the court from his ailing surgically-repaired ankle injury to score 20 points in Dallas' 102-101 win over Phoenix.
As Howard continues to inch back to 100 percent, his status for Friday is up in the air, as the team prepares for a back-to-back.
"We'll see. I'm not going to say which game he (Howard) is going to play or not play, and I'm not going to say he's not going to play one of the games. That we may play by ear," Carlisle said.
"I think we'll know where we are probably after Friday night."
Dallas could also have reserve guard Quinton Ross back from a lower back injury, after the Dallas native went through a full practice on Thursday. Ross hasn't played since leaving a 111-103 loss to Golden State early with soreness in his lower back on Nov. 24.
The Mavericks-Heat matchup on Friday night will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Dallas then returns home to host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday, with that game airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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