Heat and Mavericks can't decide Game 5

The game was tied at 93 and headed to overtime.
MIAMI (AP) -- Dwyane Wade had 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, the last two on a short jumper off the glass with 2.8 seconds left that pulled the Miami Heat into a 93-93 tie with the Dallas Mavericks at the end of regulation in Game 5 of the NBA finals Sunday night.
The game was not completed in time for this edition.
Erick Dampier's dunk with 10.1 seconds left gave Dallas a two-point lead, but Wade coolly drove, pulled up and scored to knot the game for the Heat -- who trailed by nine points earlier in the second half.
Jason Terry had 33 points in regulation for Dallas, but misfired on a jumper as three Heat defenders swarmed at him at the buzzer.
Wade made 19 free throws in regulation, tying an NBA finals record -- but his superstar teammate, Shaquille O'Neal, continued his epic struggles from the foul line. O'Neal was 2-for-12 from the line in the first four quarters, misfiring on three of four attempts when the Mavericks went to the Hack-a-Shaq scheme in the final period.
But ultimately, it didn't cost the Heat -- at least, not in regulation.
O'Neal had 16 points in regulation for the Heat, and James Posey scored 10.
Josh Howard had 25 points and Dirk Nowitzki 18 through four quarters for Dallas, which blew a four-point lead over the final 3 1/2 minutes of regulation.
History
Miami was aiming to join the 2004 Detroit Pistons as the only teams to win the middle three home games since the NBA began utilizing the 2-3-2 format for the finals in 1985. The series returns to Dallas on Tuesday night for Game 6. If necessary, a winner-take-all Game 7 is Thursday night.
Terry and Howard teamed to carry the Dallas on a big second-quarter run and give the Mavericks a 51-43 lead at halftime. Terry and Howard each had 19 points at intermission, combining to make 14 of their 23 shots for the Mavericks -- who lost Games 3 and 4 of the finals, but were aiming to head home with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.
And they had every Dallas point in a 21-6 run over a 5 1/2-minute stretch late in the second quarter, one that turned a four-point deficit into an 11-point lead in the final minute before the break.
Dallas shot 50 percent in the half, while Miami shot 37 percent -- with Dwyane Wade particularly struggling. Wade led Miami with 13 points, doing so on only 3-for-13 shooting.
Wade's first-half totals included a dunk with 6:56 left in the second quarter -- on a play where he stumbled out-of-bounds after missing a jumper and drawing some contact, inadvertently tackling referee Bennett Salvatore, then rejoining play for the slam. Salvatore, somehow, kept his eyes on play the whole time.
But that tackle was hardly as newsworthy as the one that kept Jerry Stackhouse from Game 5.
Stackhouse -- Dallas' top reserve -- was not in the arena, serving a one-game suspension for his flagrant foul against O'Neal in the third quarter of Game 4. But his jersey appeared, at least; Mavs owner Mark Cuban donned a blue Stackhouse shirt for the game.
Miami was trying to win its home finale -- be it regular-season or playoffs -- for the first time since 1997.
Notes
Wade hasn't spoken with his former coach, Stan Van Gundy, much lately.
But that doesn't mean Van Gundy is far from Wade's thoughts.
Wade still speaks with great respect for Van Gundy, who resigned in December citing personal and family reasons. Van Gundy coached Wade and Udonis Haslem for two-plus seasons, since they were rookies in Miami for the 2003-04 season.
"I don't talk to coach, but of course he's a part of it," Wade said Sunday. "He's part of my development, part of Udonis' development, a big part of this whole organization. So as we win, he wins, and I'm sure as we lose, he loses. He feels the same way, so Coach Van Gundy will always be a big part of what goes on in Miami.
Van Gundy hasn't appeared at a Heat game since his resignation; he's still under contract with the organization, and respectfully declined an offer from owner Micky Arison to attend the finals.
Pat Riley -- who resigned and promoted Van Gundy to head coach before the 2003-04 season, then replaced his former top assistant this season -- said Van Gundy "absolutely" remains an important part of the Heat operation.
Van Gundy has scouted Heat playoff opponents on television, then sends the team a report, Riley said.
"He e-mails me," Riley said. "We're constantly in touch. ... I look forward to his e-mails. They're really in-depth. Stan's a great basketball mind."
Van Gundy was a consultant for St. Thomas University's recent search for men's and women's basketball coaches, and at a hiring announcement at that school last week, declined to speak in specifics about the Heat season.
"It's just not something that's for me to talk about," Van Gundy said. "I'm basically a fan."
Although he isn't at the arena in person, he's certainly aware of what's going on in this series.
"I've got every minute tuned in at home," Van Gundy said.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.