Heat take 1-0 lead over Dallas

MIAMI (AP):

Chris Bosh held up three fingers after the buzzer sounded to end Miami's 92-84 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, indicating that the Heat need three more wins in this NBA finals series to take the championship.

He could also have been indicating the importance of Miami's 'Big Three' of himself, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, who moved a step closer to delivering on the promise that was apparent from the moment they came together in pre-season.

James scored 24 points for his first win in five NBA finals games, Wade scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half, and the Heat also worked hard defensively, holding the Western Conference champions to their lowest points total of the play-offs.

"Feels good because it's the first game, and we played well as a team," James said. "We've got a lot of work to do. ... That's one in the books. We're excited about this game. Tomorrow, we prepare for Game Two, and I see ways we can get better."

injured finger

Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points, despite tearing a tendon in the middle finger on his left, non-shooting hand, which is expected to mean he wears a splint for the remainder of the series.

Shawn Marion had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, while Jason Terry got most of his 12 points in an early flurry.

It was Dallas' fifth straight loss to Miami in finals games, dating back to the Heat rally for the 2006 crown.

Dallas held the Heat to 39 per cent shooting, Miami's second-worst showing of the play-offs.

However, the Mavericks shot 37 per cent - by far, their worst night of the post-season offensively.

"We're a veteran team," said Nowitzki. "You can't get down with a loss. You've got to come back strong on Thursday (today). If you're the road team, you're happy with a split. So, we've got another opportunity on Thursday to get one. We don't want to go home down 0-2."

Wade's three-pointer with 3:06 left put thre Heat up 82-73, then the largest lead of the game for either team.

"We'll play better. I'm very certain of that," said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. "We had some opportunities. Shots we normally make, they didn't go down. Look, it's a long series. We'll adjust."