Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks NBA Finals Game 6 Tips, Picks, Odds and Predictions – NBA Playoffs Betting Preview 6/12/11

Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks NBA Finals Game 6 Expert Tips, Picks, Odds and Predictions – NBA Playoffs Betting Tips 6/12/11: As the NBA Finals return to Miami, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves one win away from avenging a 2006 collapse in the Finals and celebrating the organization’s first championship. They also find themselves with a cushy 5 ½ points from the oddsmakers. Meanwhile, the Heat are facing a  pair of must win games if they want to rally from a 3-2 deficit and live up to the lofty expectations placed on them from the start of the season. In what has already been a close, back-and-forth affair, the intensity level in Game 6 is only going to increase. It’s time to see which team can stand up to the pressure and get the job done in crunch time.

Based off what we’ve seen in the first five games of the series, the advantage has to go to the Mavericks. Dallas has owned the fourth quarter throughout the series. Led by the incredible shooting of Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas made a late charge in the first four games of the series, stealing away Game 2 and Game 4. In Game 5, the Mavericks didn’t need to stage a comeback, but they outplayed the heat once again in the final quarter, closing out Miami down the stretch.

The Heat have done the complete opposite throughout this series. Miami has completely abandoned its offense during the fourth quarter of games, becoming stagnant and settling for long jumpshots rather than continuing to penetrate and attack the rim. The result has been long scoreless stretches that have allowed the Mavericks to fight their way back into games, and on two occasions, snatch the victory away. Worse yet, two-time MVP LeBron James has been virtually nonexistent in the fourth quarter of games. James isn’t just missing shots. He isn’t even shooting. James may be one of the NBA’s elite players, but he has been invisible when the Heat have needed him the most.

Despite all the fourth quarter mishaps for Miami, the Heat do have home court advantage working in their favor in Game 6. That being said, Dallas was able to overcome a 15-point fourth quarter deficit in the final six minutes to win Game 2 in Miami. The Heat may be more comfortable playing in front of their home crowd, but the Mavericks certainly aren’t going to be intimidated. Home court advantage alone isn’t going to win Sunday’s game for Miami.

While the 3-2 deficit and the inexplicable play of James both have to be major concerns for the Heat, the tempo of Game 5 may be the most troublesome factor. Even in losing Game 2 and Game 4, Miami made the Mavericks play at their pace. In Game 5, Dallas made both teams plat at quicker pace, cracking 100 points for the first time in the series. The Mavericks finally established their 3-point shooters and made the heralded Miami defense look slow and exploitable.

Even though Miami has looked like the better team for longer stretches during this series, the end results are all that count, and Dallas has proven time and again they are the better team in crunch time. Home court advantage will be a factor as well as the stellar play of Dwyane Wade, but there are an awful lot of issues the Heat have to address. Can Miami really figure out how to recapture the tempo, slow down the Dallas offense, and get James straightened out amid the pressure of an elimination game in the NBA Finals?

When the Heat allowed Dallas to come back and win Game 2 instead of finishing them off, they gave the Mavericks hope. The confidence of Nowitzki and company has only grown since. Dallas has the momentum entering Game 6, and while the Heat search for answers, the Mavericks have a golden opportunity to win the title. Miami may be able to scratch out a win on sheer desperation, but the Mavericks will be in it until the end win or loss. Check the latest NBA lines and place bets at BookMaker Sportsbook – A+ Rated Sportsbook and “Where the Line Originates”!

Free NBA Tips and Picks: Dallas Mavericks (+5 ½) Cover the Spread in Game 6

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