source: www.Reuters.com
DALLAS - LeBron James vanished once again in the final quarter of the NBA Finals, a chief reason the Dallas Mavericks are only one victory away from winning their first title.
The two-time MVP scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Miami's 112-103 loss on Thursday, but had only two points during the pivotal fourth quarter when Dallas pulled away.
The Mavericks now have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and can claim their first championship at the American Airlines Arena in Miami on Sunday.
Asked if he was feeling the pressure of the NBA Finals, especially in the fourth quarter, James said: "No, I don't think so. I don't believe so. I know I'm not."
James was scoreless in the fourth quarter of Dallas's 86-83 win on Tuesday and on Thursday he hit only one of four shots, an uncontested lay-up with 29 seconds left.
James said he took no satisfaction from the triple-double.
"The only thing that applies to me is a win," he said. "I could have made a couple more plays for my team. But at the end of the day, all it's about is a win or a loss.
"Triple-double means absolutely nothing in a loss. So we will be better in Game Six on Sunday."
James, searching for his first NBA championship, hit eight of 19 shots but misfired on all four attempts from long range and contributed four of Miami's 16 costly turnovers.
The former NBA scoring champion was passive down the stretch of Tuesday's game and although he was more engaged on Thursday, it was guard Dwyane Wade who seized the spotlight, scoring 10 of his 23 points in the final quarter.
Dallas went on a 15-3 run to close out the game, and now has to win one of the next two games to hoist the Larry O'Brien championship trophy.
"LeBron was much more aggressive tonight," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "Obviously, he had a triple double. And he had an impact on the game."
Spoelstra said over the next few days he will address his team's inability to close out games, "which we've been very good at the last two and a half months, and particularly during our playoff run."
"We haven't been able to do it consistently enough in this series," he added. "And that's something we'll address." - Reuters
Finals Game 5 Highlights Video
DALLAS - LeBron James vanished once again in the final quarter of the NBA Finals, a chief reason the Dallas Mavericks are only one victory away from winning their first title.
The two-time MVP scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Miami's 112-103 loss on Thursday, but had only two points during the pivotal fourth quarter when Dallas pulled away.
The Mavericks now have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and can claim their first championship at the American Airlines Arena in Miami on Sunday.
Asked if he was feeling the pressure of the NBA Finals, especially in the fourth quarter, James said: "No, I don't think so. I don't believe so. I know I'm not."
James was scoreless in the fourth quarter of Dallas's 86-83 win on Tuesday and on Thursday he hit only one of four shots, an uncontested lay-up with 29 seconds left.
James said he took no satisfaction from the triple-double.
"The only thing that applies to me is a win," he said. "I could have made a couple more plays for my team. But at the end of the day, all it's about is a win or a loss.
"Triple-double means absolutely nothing in a loss. So we will be better in Game Six on Sunday."
James, searching for his first NBA championship, hit eight of 19 shots but misfired on all four attempts from long range and contributed four of Miami's 16 costly turnovers.
The former NBA scoring champion was passive down the stretch of Tuesday's game and although he was more engaged on Thursday, it was guard Dwyane Wade who seized the spotlight, scoring 10 of his 23 points in the final quarter.
Dallas went on a 15-3 run to close out the game, and now has to win one of the next two games to hoist the Larry O'Brien championship trophy.
"LeBron was much more aggressive tonight," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "Obviously, he had a triple double. And he had an impact on the game."
Spoelstra said over the next few days he will address his team's inability to close out games, "which we've been very good at the last two and a half months, and particularly during our playoff run."
"We haven't been able to do it consistently enough in this series," he added. "And that's something we'll address." - Reuters
Finals Game 5 Highlights Video
