NBA Finals Notebook: Game 6
MIAMI (AP) - DIRK'S AIM: An hour before Game 6, Dirk Nowitzki was on the court alone, hoisting jumpers from his favorite spots around the foul line.
He actually needed the work.
Nowitzki's aim has been off this series. His .439 shooting percentage through five games by far his lowest in any series this postseason.
His previous worst was .452 against Portland's bruising defense. He peaked at .574 against the Lakers and made .557 against the Thunder.
He was averaging 27 points going into Sunday night. The only series he averaged less was the Lakers, when he was at 25.3.
Of course, a torn tendon in his left middle finger and a sinus infection haven't helped. And the Heat have one of the top defenses. Still, when you bring along your own shooting coach, and you're as disciplined as Nowitzki, any problem gets extra analysis.
"I had some good looks, they just didn't go down," Nowitzki said.
How to fix it?
"Just keep attacking," he said.
Nowitzki went into Sunday night 39 points from some pretty heady company.
Only Michael Jordan (three times), Kobe Bryant (three times), Hakeem Olajuwon (twice) and Larry Bird (twice) have scored 600 points in multiple NBA postseasons. Nowitzki finished with 620 points in 2006, when the Mavericks lost the finals to Miami.
Others with 600-plus points in one postseason: Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Dwyane Wade.
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RILEY'S ENCOURAGEMENT: Heat President Pat Riley, long considered a master motivator, has been having informal chats with players throughout the playoffs and the finals hasn't slowed him down.
Dwyane Wade said his most recent chat with Riley was on Saturday.
"He pops in a lot of different times," Wade said.
The details of those talks, neither Wade nor LeBron James would divulge specifics.
"Just the moment," James said. "He's been in this moment before. We've been in this moment before. Just giving a different perspective. It's not really the outside looking in because he's always around. ... We respect that."
Wade said Riley has been in every situation imaginable in the NBA and can recite details precisely from games that happened nearly four decades ago. He also said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra -- a Riley protege -- is developing his mentor's knack for saying perfect things at perfect times to his team.
"He's getting better at the speeches," Wade said. "He had a couple good ones in this postseason where we were like, 'Yeah.' So he's getting pretty good. Obviously, Coach Riley has many, many, many, many, many, many years, stories and seasons under his belt to be able to pull from. Spo's only got three, three seasons. The first two, I don't think he wants to pull many from."
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CARLISLE CLOSEOUTS: Mavs coach Rick Carlisle is 10-3 entering Game 6 of the finals when his teams have an opportunity to close a series.
He says a key is not changing approaches when on the cusp of winning.
"At this time of year, there's so much at stake on every possession that you could argue each possession is like a battle within itself," Carlisle said before the game. "But elimination games are always the most difficult, when you're trying to close a team out, because they're going to be desperate. We're back in their building, which is always going to be something that's going to be a challenging situation."
Carlisle said he didn't show his team his championship ring won as a player with the Celtics, saying the Mavs have no need for any extra motivation right now.
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JAMES' MINUTES: LeBron James has played more minutes than anyone else in these playoffs, a total of 881 and 15 seconds entering Game 6 of the NBA finals.
He's fine with that workload, though noted another little rest or two might have helped in some late-game situations.
"I don't think it's too much," James said. "I feel like I'm in world-class condition. Like I said, anytime you get a little rest here, a little rest there, it definitely helps. I wouldn't say it's too much. I don't think so. I don't feel like I'm hurting my team for the time I'm out there. I don't feel like it's too much."
Heat forward Chris Bosh logged 795 minutes, 20 seconds -- second-most in the NBA playoffs entering Game 6. The Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki was third at 787:01, just 19 seconds more than Miami's Dwyane Wade.
"I'll see if I can get him 30 seconds or an extra minute, maybe, possibly in the second half," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Game 6, with a wry grin. "He's going to play big minutes. I can guarantee you that."
James has played a ton, but he's nowhere near the record for a postseason.
Since minutes began being charted officially, nine players -- Richard Hamilton (1,079 in 2005), Dan Majerle (1,071 in 1993), Patrick Ewing (1,032 in 1994), Charles Barkley (1,026 in 1993), Tayshaun Prince (1,023 in 2005), Tim Duncan (1,021 in 2003), Allen Iverson (1,016 in 2001), Larry Bird (1,015 in 1987) and Shaquille O'Neal (1,000 in 2000) have reached quadruple-figures in playoff minutes.
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ROAD WARRIORS: Dallas coming into Miami on the cusp of a championship marked the eighth time since the league went to the 2-3-2 format in 1985 that a team hit the road with a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers (1985), Chicago Bulls (1993 and 1998) and the Heat (over Dallas in 2006) closed it out with road Game 6 victories. Teams that rallied with two wins at home include the Lakers (1988 and 2010) and the Houston Rockets (1994).
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CELEB WATCH: Marc Anthony performed the national anthem at Game 6, which was also attended by Mike Stanton and Josh Johnson of the Florida Marlins, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Heat-game regular Gloria Estefan.
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