Only two teams have ever come back from an 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals to win the championship.
That is the onus that is on the Miami Heat as they head back to Miami for Game 3 on Tuesday.
You're going to lose this series unless you make history.
That's no short order.
After losing a tight contest in Game 1, the Heat were blown-out, embarrassed, shellacked, and run out of the building in Game 2 on Sunday night.
Dwyane Wade looked frustrated, Shaq looked helpless, and Pat Riley looked baffled and confused.
The Mavericks dominated the game, save a late fourth quarter mini-rally during garbage time by the Miami bench.
So, it comes down to this for the Miami Heat entering Game 3 — make history or go home. If they lose on Tuesday night, the series is over. Yes, the Mavs will still need to win one more game to make it official, but the series will be over. If they win, however, suddenly they are just one more win away from tying up the series and making this 0-2 deficit seem like a distant memory.
It's amazing how quickly a series can turn, and it's amazing how much of it rests on confidence and momentum.
Look at the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Pistons and the Cavs. The Pistons demolished Cleveland in the first game, and were well on the way to doing the same in Game 2 until a late fourth quarter mini-rally during garbage time by the Cleveland bench. A little momentum, a little confidence.
Suddenly, the Cavs win back-to-back-to-back games to take a 3-2 series lead.
Sound familiar?
The Miami Heat didn't lose by 27 points last night (their biggest deficit of the game.) They lost 99-85. There is no doubt that a loss is still a loss, an L is an L, but the confidence and momentum gained by the Heat in that late fourth quarter rally might be enough to carry over into a Game 3 victory.
It's going to have be, otherwise this series is over.
Just because only two teams have come back from an 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals doesn't mean that the Heat can't make this series competitive and take it the full seven games. Perhaps looking at history isn't the best motivation for a team staring down this monumental task. One game at a time has to be the motto in the locker room.
Just because other teams haven't done it doesn't mean that they can't.
They are on the way back to Miami where the Heat have a much better record during the playoffs, losing only one game. Veterans Pat Riley, Shaq, and Gary Payton have to be able to bring this team's focus back to where it needs to be. They are going to have to look past all the questions about history and comebacks and deficits, and focus on Game 3. The season comes down to one game. Win, and they could be on the way to evening the series and staring down history with a fresh start. Lose, and they are done.
They are on the brink of elimination, and they are on the brink of contending in the series.
One game, in the W column or the L, will decide history.
But if the Heat's recent playoff record is any indication of the coming games, then you can be sure that the team has no problem marching onto the court in the face of fait accompli.
Coach Pat Riley said, "Everybody's written our team off, even in Chicago. We lost to games to Chicago, then we got buried by New Jersey in the first game. We were history, and then we were history against Detroit — even when we were ahead 3-1. I'm sure we're history now, so we'll see what happens at home."
Well, actually, Mr. Riley, history says you're pretty much history now.
You aren't playing the Bulls, and you're not playing the Nets.
The Mavs might be (and I know I'm taking a big gamble with this sentence) slightly better than those teams. After all, they are in the NBA Finals after having beat the reigning champs in the San Antonio Spurs. They also put a pretty good hurt on you in the first two games of the season.
Now, that's not to say that history has the fate of the Miami Heat's season already written in the record books. Two teams have come back from an 0-2 deficit to win the NBA Finals. That's something to be hopeful about — however, that is only going to be a hope if the Heat can even this series, and that is only going to happen if they win Game 3.
It's not the time to blow off comments about your team going down 0-2.
It's not time to blow off criticism and tell everybody that you shouldn't write the Heat off, because, after all, they beat the Bulls and the Nets on the way to the NBA Finals.
It's time to say you are looking at the series one game at a time.
It's time to admit that history is a large thing to tackle.
It's time to admit you have a mountain to climb after falling down 0-2.
The Miami Heat still have a chance to make this NBA Finals a competitive series instead of a four-game sweep.
There's still time left to regain the confidence and momentum that could turn this series around into a 2-2 tie.
But it all hinges on Game 3.
Make history, or become it.
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