Heat Take Game One

The Miami Heat made things a bit interesting but still cruised to a 92-84 victory on Tuesday evening.

So what's next for the Mavs? What must be done differently to defeat the Heat?

The Miami Heat were lead by the usual cast of LeBron James with 24 points, Dwyane Wade with 22, and Chris Bosh with 19. The Heat got good bench play from Mario Chalmers with 12 points, Haslem with 7 points, and Mike Miller sinking two from beyond the 3-point arc for 6 points. The Heat's bench outscored the Mavs' Bench 27-17. This was the largest margin amongst the games played so far this season between the two teams.

The Mavericks got great support, per usual, from their superstar Dirk Nowitzki with 27 points. He was accompanied by Shawn Marion with 16 points and Jason Terry with 12 points.

However it was the benches that came to be the center of attention on Tuesday night. Of course, throughout the season the Miami Heat took a lot of criticism for the lack of bench effort. But so far, their bench has come through in the post-season and been a huge support and lift for their big three stars. If the Mavs want to stick around deep in this Finals series, they need to get more support from their starters and bench. They cannot just depend on Marion, Nowitzki, and Terry. Others must step up!

These two teams square off again Thursday night as the Heat look to defend their home court once again.