The Dallas Mavericks preserved their first NBA championship after beat the Miami Heat 105-95 to take the series 4-2. Having been a leading presence all through much of that run, Dirk Nowitzki was overshadow on this occasion by top-scorer Jason Terry, who scored 27 points to lead the way.
Nowitzki was still in the thick of things with 21 points but there were big presentation all across the court from the Mavs, with DeShawn Stevenson option up three three-pointers in the first half, Ian Mahinmi in fine form and JJ Barea civilizing his starting record to 3-0.
After losing the series opener, victory here meant Dallas won four from five matches against their title rivals. On the losing side, LeBron James' lengthy wait for a winners' ring continues. He burned brightly in the opening connections but, despite scoring 21 points, did not make enough impact on events as the game wore on.
James has had mixed fortune in the Mavs series and will be let down to finish on the losing side again. Chris Bosh added 19 points and Mario Chalmers 18 for Heat. He NBA, in the meantime, has long-established they are to examine a second-quarter argument flanked by the sides after some bench players were involved on the court.