Dirk Nowitzki watched the clock tick down in disbelief and then ran into the locker room, unsure of what to do with himself.

His teammates and coaches remained on the court in a rather tame celebration, and eventually everyone joined back up for the trophy presentation with commissioner David Stern.

Nowitzki, who averaged 26 points and 10 rebounds in the series, was the unanimous choice for the Finals MVP award.

For Mark Cuban, it was vindication after numerous runs at an NBA title, with the closest attempt ironically coming against Miami back in 2006.

It looked as though the Mavericks may have run out of gas, and a lost most certainly would have meant the end to any Dallas NBA title hopes.

However, the hot-shooting Mavericks caught fire again just at the right time, and a bunch of players not named Dirk Nowitzki shot their way to a 112-103 victory.

J.J. Barea, Jason Kidd and especially Jason Terry all hit big shots from the outside in the final minutes to overcome the deficit and pull away in the final moments.

The series now shifts back to Miami for Game 6. The Mavericks have the series lead and all of the momentum, and they are just one victory away from claiming the NBA title for Mark Cuban.

Dirk Nowitzki had a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession, but his fadeaway jump shot clanked off the rim.

The Mavericks now face the unenviable task of having to win three of the final four games in the series to win the NBA title.

Two of those games will be at home, but it’s hard to envision Dallas being able to put together three great games in such a short period of time.

The Mavericks are simply outmanned by the Heat, who have the two best players on the court. Dallas has Nowitzki and a bunch of nothing, which is likely to seal their fate. 

Dirk Nowitzki also had an off night but still managed to pour in 27 points in a losing effort.

The bigger concern after the game was a torn tendon in a finger on the star’s left hand. Nowitzki doesn’t believe it will be a big deal but will likely have to wear some type of splint to protect it.

Dallas certainly had a chance to steal Game 1 in Miami and take back homecourt advantage, but they seemed a little bit rusty after the long layoff.

The Mavericks are going to have to get better shooting nights out of their role players the rest of the series if they hope to take home the NBA title.

Dallas scored 17 of the final 19 points of the game to erase the large deficit and send it into the extra session.

The Mavericks can thank Dirk Nowitzki and his 40 points for leading the come-from-behind victory.

Nowitzki continues to have an unbelievable postseason, clearly outplaying other top players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant.

Instead of a tied series heading back to Dallas, the Mavericks now hold a commanding 3-1 lead with a chance to close things out at home and advance to the NBA Finals. This Mavericks team is much more physically and mentally tough than past versions of the team, and so far, it’s making all of the difference. 

It was the Nowitzki show, as the forward continued his torrid postseason by putting up 48 points. Even more impressive, Nowitzki was an incredible 24-24 from the free throw line.

The free throw performance set an NBA record, and he finished 12 for 15 from the floor after making 11 of his first 12 shots

Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said that his team defended Nowitzki as tight as they could, joking maybe too tight because of his 24 free throw attempts.

Kevin Durant scored 40 points for the Thunder in a losing effort. Oklahoma City is going to have to find a way to keep the ball out of Nowitzki’s hands because he is throwing everything through the hoop right now.

The team has agreed to a multi-year deal with Corey Brewer, who just received a buyout from the New York Knicks.

Brewer has been mostly a disappointment in his short time in the NBA after suffering an ACL injury.

However, he has started to bounce back from the injury and can help teams with his versatility and defense.

It’s actually been surprising to me how many teams have been willing to pass on a quality young player like Brewer.

The deal sends guard Marcus Thornton and cash considerations to Sacramento for forward Carl Landry.

Cuban is incensed that the Hornets, who are now owned by the league, would send cash to another team when they are struggling financially.

He made the point that he actually now owns 1/29 of the club, and that it’s ridiculous they are taking on more salary.

Cuban said other teams were interested in Landry but unwilling to take on his salary, which is where the Hornets gained an advantage.

It remains to be seen how much Stojakovic can help them because of a sore knee that has slowed him much of the season.

Stojakovic made it clear that he wanted to return to the Western Conference and play for a contender.

He was also pretty clear about the fact that the Mavericks were the team that he wanted to join.

It makes a lot of sense because he has a chance to have a significant role and fill the void left by Caron Butler.