The Heat came to Dallas and proved that they could do something they had not done all year — they went into American Airlines Center and got a win. They earned a great victory and are well-deserving world champions.
However, somewhere in Dallas, Mark Cuban has to be wondering if his tirade after the Mavericks' loss in Game 5 contributed to his team's ultimate demise. Through five games in this series, the home team had enjoyed a positive free-throw margin of 174-129. In fact, Dallas itself had a positive 54-51 margin in its first two home games.
But Game 6 was a different story. The Heat enjoyed a 15-2 free throw advantage in the first half of this deciding contest. Ultimately, the final margin was 37-23, favoring Miami.
Attribute it to the Heat's attacking, aggressive style of play in Game 6. Blame it on the Mavericks settling for jump shot after jump shot instead of forcing the issue by taking the ball hard to the basket. But maybe, just maybe, the disparity in free throw shooting in the favor of the visiting Heat was a little good old-fashioned payback.
Cuban deserves much credit for making key moves to turn around the Dallas franchise. His style is controversial, intense, and effective. Many see him as a crusader for referee reform. Others, as an owner who needs to back off and let the real basketball people be the face of his operation.
During and after game five in Miami, Cuban reportedly publicly called out the officials. Again, according to reports, his frustrations boiled over into profane venting during post-game interviews.
Cuban's attacks on NBA officiating are nothing new. His blog is a regular posting grounds for his dissatisfaction. Resulting fines are apparently a minor business expense (and matched for charity by Cuban). The $250,000 fine after game five is probably not much of a deterrent for Cuban. More costly is the possibility of a little retribution.
Did the referees see this game through lenses colored Heat red by Cuban's attacks? The large free throw margin favoring visiting Miami might indicate as much. Different styles of play can result in the referees awarding one team with more free throws than the other. Equally logical is the conclusion that the calls being made by the officials influence the style of play of the teams. Teams awarded free throws for touch fouls are going to be more aggressive than teams that seemingly are not getting the calls.
We may never know for sure whether the outcome of this game was impacted by Cuban's meltdown. However, Cuban and much of Dallas are undoubtedly lamenting what could have been. Maybe Dallas fans are even wondering if the Mavericks would have lived to play another day in Game 7 if only their owner had not lost it and gone off on the officials yet again.
Todd Beckstead is the founder of MonsterDraft.com, featuring fantasy football draft strategies.
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