A ring well earned

The Miami Heat sure deserved to win the NBA Championship this year. They proved it every time they laced 'em up.

Before Tuesday night's series-clinching 95-92 win over the Mavs, Pat Riley reportedly told his players to go after every ball, help on every drive, grab, steal, scratch and claw their way to a win. They obeyed.

Alonzo Mourning had five blocks. Dwyane Wade had four steals. Four Heat starters had double digit rebounds -- including Antoine "Tippy-Toes" Walker, who looked more nimble than normal, asserting himself all over the floor and pulling down 11 boards. Oh yeah, Wade scored 36, too.

Yes, the Heat truly seized this one. They grabbed the Mavs by their hooves. But Dallas still had its chances.

All Playoffs long, Jason Terry had been magnificent. Tuesday, he looked like he didn't belong at all. He made 7 of 25 shots and connected on just 2 of 11 triples. Down the stretch, when he shot the ball, his feet were never set, his releases always rushed. It's a wonder why Avery Johnson didn't take him out, or calm him down, or demand that Dirk Nowitzki shoot those shots. But it didn't happen, and the low percentage field goal attempts killed them.

Dirk played well, but not when it counted. He finished with 29 points, only two of which came in the fourth.

The most impressive Mavs were Jerry Stackhouse and the little-used Marquis Daniels. Stack hit two big 3s in the fourth, and Daniels sparked Dallas from the point guard spot in the third, preventing the Heat from pulling away.

In the end, Wade, Shaq and the bunch proved too much. Although Shaq scored only nine points, his 12 rebounds and distracting presence inside made things easy on his teammates -- and tough on the Mavs.

His two primary defenders, DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier, stifled the Big Aristotle to some degree, but their non-existence on the offensive end (just three points combined, and not too many more for the entire series) was, ultimately, more of a deterrent to Dallas than their D was a help.

On the Mavs' second-to-last possession, Dirk came off a screen from Dampier and found the big man open rolling to the basket. When the ball came his way, Dampier fumbled it directly to Wade.

A few possessions earlier, Wade missed a rare fourth-quarter field goal attempt, and Udonis Haslem (who was gigantic in the game, scoring a surprising 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting) pushed Dampier over like he was a cardboard cut-out, easily gliding in for the offensive rebound and putback score.

No wonder why Shaquille calls him "Ericka."

As a Pistons fan, I watched Game 6 -- and the entire series for that matter -- free of frustration. I appreciate the way the Heat played in May and June. They played well together. When they needed to, they got out of the way and let D. Wade do his thing. Talk about a luxury. (The Pistons could have him, you know.)

The Mavs were impressive, too. All of their individual players were fun to watch. They can get back, and they can win the Finals, if they only play as a team more effectively. Tuesday, they had too many turnovers (12, to only 16 assists) and too much standing around on offense to win.

They'll be back. So might the Heat. But don't count out the Pistons, either. They'll be as tough to beat as anyone next season (which I will illustrate in my long overdue State of the Pistons Address, coming soon).

I'm already eager for November.