The series was tied two games a piece but it felt like the Heat had lost those two games and not that the Mavs had won them. It was LeBron "shrinking" in the fourth and the Heat getting complacent and settling for poor shots after "celebrating" a big lead. It still seemed like the Heat were the better team.

The basic reasons the Mavericks made it all the way to the Finals was because a stronger effort on the defensive end and timely jump-shooting to complement their superstar, Dirk Nowitzki. The defense has been there against the Heat. They had held the Heat to 89 points per game on 43-percent shooting. That shooting percentage is even lower if you take out the large amount of fast break opportunities the Heat have gotten.

It was the offense that had been disappointing for the Mavericks. Prior to this series the Mavs averaged 100 points per game. Against the Heat they were averaging 88 points. I started to believe it was the Heat's suffocating defense that had gotten to them.

Players like LeBron James, Udonis Haslem and Dwyane Wade were just too athletic for them. No matter how many passes they made they couldn't get off a clean look. The Heat could double on Dirk and still make it back to the perimeter to fluster the Mavs shooters. The Heat were playing the lanes and picking off passes for easy buckets forcing the Mavs into more turnovers than usual. Without the open looks from the perimeter the Mavs 3-point shooting dipped from near 40-percent in the first three series of these playoffs to 34-percent in the first four games against the Heat.

But the Mavericks were a different team in Game 5. And by 'different' I mean the same team that swept the Lakers and made quick work of the Thunder. The Mavericks looked like the team that had gotten to the Finals instead of the one that had struggled through the first four games.

Previously they had been moving the ball quickly but not well. They would hit Dirk at the elbow and when he was doubled he'd kick it out to the perimeter. But the Heat could make up the distance from the elbow to the 3-point line quick enough to prevent an open shot. They would pass it into the post and then kick it out and throw it around the perimeter but the Heat were always right there.

Last night they were much more aggressive. J.J. Barea, Jason Kidd and Nowitzki all looked to drive to the basket and then kick it out. With the defenders all the way under the rim, the Mavs were able to get their open looks. It also helps that they were simply on fire. They knocked down 13-of-19 from 3-point range to the tune of 68-percent.

Through the first three games the talk was that Batman (Nowitzki) needed a Robin. The Mavs needed someone else to step up. But that's not exactly how the Mavs have made it this far. This isn't a situation where there is a LeBron and Wade on the same team or even a Durant and Westbrook. The Mavs have Dirk and a bunch of above average players. There isn't one player that HAS to step up for the Mavs. It takes their entire team to win. In Game 4 five different players scored in double figures and it was the same in Game 5 but with two of the players being different. That's six players other than Dirk all able to contribute when called upon.

It's amazing the series was tied through four games with the way the Mavericks had been playing. They had managed to come through when it counted most but there were long stretches where their offense was a complete mess. Now though, it seems they are back to playing their style of game and it's up to the Heat to figure out a way to get them out of that comfort zone or they will be celebrating in South Beach sometime next week.