Dallas takes control

DALLAS – Even Mark Cuban’s postgame celebration was a bit reserved. The Dallas Mavericks had a decisive two-game lead in the NBA finals – and this easy victory almost felt too easy against the beaten, battered Miami Heat.

Over on the other bench, Shaquille O’Neal pulled the towel from his head and stalked away from the lowest point total of his playoff career. The three-time finals MVP never found it this hard to get his job done.

Jerry Stackhouse scored 19 points and Josh Howard had 15 – and both converted four-point plays during the decisive runs in Dallas’ 99-85 victory in Game 2 on Sunday night, sending the Mavericks to Miami with their sights on the franchise’s first title.

Dirk Nowitzki’s supporting cast made the biggest plays in this one-sided romp, but the German star shook off his Game 1 jitters to get 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Mavericks. With the game nearly out of reach in the third quarter, Dallas kept its celebrations calm and professional.

Clearly, the Mavs have bigger goals in mind.

“We haven’t really done anything,” Nowitzki said. “We won two games at home. We know they are a different animal at home. Shaq and Dwyane, they are going to get their troops ready to play.”

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Miami, and a two-game deficit has only been overcome twice in NBA finals history.

Led by Stackhouse, Howard and Jason Terry, who had 16 points, Dallas’ offense was effortless and exciting. The Mavs buried the disorganized Heat with waves of points that included a 27-6 run in the second quarter.

“We feel this is an opportunity for us,” Stackhouse said. “We want to do all we can to prepare ourselves to be able to fulfill a dream of ours, and fulfill the dream of our city. We’re one more step closer to that.”

Both Stackhouse and Howard even converted four-point plays – the elusive act of hitting 3-pointers while getting fouled. There were just six four-point plays in NBA finals history before the game, and Dallas was the first team to get two in the same game.

But the Mavericks did something much more historic and important on the other end: They limited O’Neal to his worst postseason performance. In 190 career playoff games, Shaq finished with a single-digit point total just three times.

“It was a team effort,” Nowitzki said. “No one can stop Shaq one-on-one. It was a team effort, and our big men did a decent job.”

O’Neal scored on the Heat’s first possession and was fouled, but he missed the ensuing free throw – and then went 20 1/2 minutes without another basket, finishing with just five shots. Shaq’s frustration grew with every possession, contributing to his 1-of-7 free throw shooting after going 1 for 9 in the opener.

O’Neal, who was 2 for 5 from the field – both career playoff lows – spent the final 15 minutes on the bench after Dallas went ahead by 25 points. Shaq, who called himself “quotacious” earlier in the series, didn’t speak to reporters afterward.

O’Neal was fined $10,000 for failing to appear.

Mavericks 99, Heat 85

Miami (85)—Walker 8-16 0-0 20, Haslem 3-6 0-0 6, O’Neal 2-5 1-7 5, Wade 6-19 11-14 23, Williams 3-10 4-5 11, Posey 2-6 1-1 7, Payton 1-4 0-0 2, Mourning 4-4 3-5 11, S.Anderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-70 20-32 85.

Dallas (99)—Howard 6-12 1-1 15, Nowitzki 8-16 10-11 26, Diop 0-0 1-2 1, Terry 6-15 3-5 16, Griffin 0-0 0-0 0, Dampier 2-3 2-3 6, Stackhouse 6-11 3-3 19, Dev.Harris 4-10 3-3 11, Van Horn 2-3 0-0 5, Daniels 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-70 23-28 99.

3-Point Goals—Miami 7-17 (Walker 4-7, Posey 2-4, Williams 1-4, Payton 0-2), Dallas 8-19 (Stackhouse 4-5, Howard 2-3, Van Horn 1-2, Terry 1-6, Dev.Harris 0-1, Nowitzki 0-2). Fouled Out—Posey. Rebounds—Miami 44 (Wade 8), Dallas 50 (Nowitzki 16). Assists—Miami 16 (Payton, Williams 4), Dallas 23 (Terry 9). Total Fouls—Miami 23, Dallas 27. Technicals—Miami Defensive Three Second, Wade, Dallas Defensive Three Second 2. A—20,459. (19,200).