Mavericks must return from vacation
DALLAS -- The shift is unmistakable. The Miami Heat have tied the NBA Finals, 2-2, and seized the momentum with a fervor that belies their anemic showing in Games 1 and 2. And so, just like that, it's Dallas coach Avery Johnson who must answer to the same doubters and critics who dismissed coach Pat Riley's team as overmatched less than a week ago.
Now it is Johnson who must explain why his team is struggling at such a crucial juncture, why his defensive strategies are no longer effective, why his star, Dirk Nowitzki, wilted in Game 4 and missed 12 of his 14 shots.
Now it is Johnson who must fight off that insidious sentiment that all coaches dread: doubt.
That doubt was introduced with 6:34 remaining in Game 3, when the Mavericks were cruising, up 13 points, about to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Instead of closing out the game and, in all likelihood, the championship, Dallas faltered, and Heat star Dwyane Wade, recognizing it could well be his team's last shot at salvaging the series, led the Heat on a tear that will go down as one of the most exciting comebacks in NBA history.
It could also be, in retrospect, the moment that permanently turned Miami's fortunes, and sealed Dallas's doom.
``Our season was hanging in the balance," Riley said. ``Wherever it came from and how players summoned it up is why we're all here. That is what I think people get connected to, and they hope they will see in a major event, whether it's a heavyweight championship fight or a World Series or a Super Bowl or a Stanley Cup.
``There's always that opportunity that somebody can do something that nobody is going to expect. It [the comeback] could be the defining moment.
``We'll only know eight days from now -- or less."
One play, one decision, one possession has often framed the legacy of an athlete or team. As the pressure mounts, the significance of each action increases tenfold (just ask the '86 Red Sox).
Consider former Bulls star Scottie Pippen, who, as Michael Jordan's wingman, won six NBA titles and was chosen as one of the league's 50 greatest players. Yet Pippen's playoff résumé will be forever marred by one crucial mistake he made in the 1994 postseason, when, with his team down by a point, he refused to go back on the floor in the final seconds of a playoff game against New York because coach Phil Jackson diagrammed the last shot for Toni Kukoc, not him (Jordan was off in Birmingham, Ala., playing Double A baseball for manager Terry Francona at the time). Pippen sat and pouted on the bench as Kukoc not only nailed the game-winner, but etched Pippen's moment of infamy in stone. Pippen won more championships after that, but it remains a permanent stain on his reputation.
Conversely, former Celtic Gerald Henderson, a very solid yet unspectacular player who spent 13 seasons in the NBA with seven teams, could easily have been forgotten once he retired. Instead, he will always be remembered as a clutch performer for stealing the ball in Game 2 of the 1984 Finals against the Lakers. Henderson parlayed his steal into a layup that tied the score with 18 seconds left, and Boston went on to win in overtime. The Celtics also won the championship, and Henderson's hustling play has been identified as the defining moment, by both teams.
Who will step up tomorrow night in Game 5 ? Who will step back? And how does Johnson keep the doubt from poisoning every good vibe that has spurred Dallas up to this point?
``If you were talking about a team that had no playoff history together, if you were talking about a team that was never able to come back and play in some tough playoff situations, then I think you would say we would be shaken," Johnson said. ``But this is a very resilient team. Their coach is very resilient. So I think we're still confident, but I know we're not overconfident anymore. We've tried to share with them how good Miami is, and we have their attention now."
Johnson is clearly perturbed by the mental state of his team. He felt his players relaxed when they went up, 2-0, is disappointed in their focus, or lack thereof, and even made reference to what he views as a less-than-ideal effort on Wade defensively.
``I'm just going to try to come up with another type of defense -- or maybe, at some point, somebody will get angry enough on our team to guard him a little bit stronger," Johnson said.
The prevailing opinion is whichever team wins Game 5 will win the series. If the Heat can record three consecutive wins on their court, a task that historically has proved to be daunting, they will go to Dallas with two chances to lock up their first title.
But if the Mavericks can disrupt Miami's rhythm and escape this city with a victory, then they will have regained the upper hand. This is a team, after all, that eliminated the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs on their floor in Game 7. The Mavericks are capable of winning in hostile environment s in pressure situations.
Yet even Johnson concedes the mind-set his team displayed in upending the Spurs has escaped them in this series.
``We're on vacation right now," he said. ``We have a vacation mentality. So I'm going to fix that."
He will begin by reviewing the tapes of Wade again, looking for a reason why he was able to split the quick traps, and spin out of the slow traps, and blow past the one-on-one coverage. He will rewind images of Shaquille O'Neal in the post, and his recent adeptness at anticipating the double team, and his ability to pass to cutters along the baseline.
Then Johnson will break down his own man, Nowitzki, looking for clues on how his team can make it easier for Nowitzki to shoot from his favorite spots. Miami successfully forced him out of his comfort zone, but the 7-footer is resourceful, and his coach would like to see him take it to the basket more.
When all of those technical matters are settled, Avery Johnson must somehow convince his players that 6 1/2 minutes in Game 3 should not bring them down. While he is doing that, Riley will harken back to those minutes to remind his team that anything is possible.
``All we have to do is go back and put on the board, `6 minutes and 34 seconds,' because that's when it changed for us," Riley said. ``And it can turn just like that the other way."
Avery Johnson knows that. He just hopes his team does, too.
Jackie MacMullan is a Globe columnist. Her e-mail address is macmullan@globe.com. 
