NBA NOTEBOOK Heat vs. Mavericks

Haslem should play: Miami's starting power forward, Udonis Haslem, has a strained and bruised left shoulder, yet is expected to be in the starting lineup tonight for Game 3. Haslem was hurt in Game 2, taking a scary second-quarter tumble after he fouled the Mavericks' Jason Terry. He did not play in the final 22 minutes of the game, spending much of that time with a large ice pack on his shoulder while he watched from the bench. Monday Haslem underwent an X-ray -- and, based on what he said after Game 2, wasn't surprised with the result. "I pretty much know what it is," Haslem said Sunday night. "It won't keep me out. I wanted to go back in, but I'll be back in the next game."
Stackhouse thriving as super sub: Jerry Stackhouse admits he's still a slasher at heart and a streaky shooter by nature. Hey, some habits are tough to break. Yet Stackhouse is far from the guy he was early in his career. No longer his team's top scorer and not even a starter, Stackhouse also is happier than ever. He's embraced his role as a sixth man and is doing it so well that he could soon become an NBA champion for the first time. A few years ago, Stackhouse averaged 29.8 points on a team that won 32 games. This year, he's averaging less than half that on a team that's two wins from a title. While he still proudly says he can go for 30 any night, Stackhouse has the bigger picture in mind. At 31 and in his 11th season, he realizes that fewer points can mean more -- more years, more contracts and more wins, something that became more important after piles of points never added up to long playoff runs during stints in Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington. "It's been a great ride for me, from a team that won 18 games my rookie year to a team that's playing in the finals," Stackhouse said. "A lot of highs and a few lows in between, but you know, it's all been worth it. I think everything that I've gone to and gone through has helped me be able to be in this role now."
Shaq's struggles: For a guy with a Superman tattoo who speaks about being from another planet, Shaquille O'Neal sure has looked like a mere mortal this series. Coming off a career-playoff-low five points in Game 2, he's shooting 12.5 percent from the foul line, missing 14 of 16 attempts -- and that doesn't include three misses nullified by lane violations. He has more missed free throws than rebounds (13). He's being outscored by four members of the Mavericks and three of his own teammates so far in the series. Even Erick Dampier, a player he's dominated and taunted, finished with more points (six) than the three-time finals MVP managed in the Mavericks victory Sunday. O'Neal has been so bad that his two-game total of 22 points is less than he'd scored in 22 of his 24 previous finals games. Go back to his Los Angeles Lakers losing the final three games of the 2004 NBA championship series and O'Neal is on a five-game finals losing streak.
Associated Press
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