What can be said about the Dallas Mavericks?

After erasing a 15-point lead with six minutes to go in regulation, last night’s come-from-behind victory was nothing short of epic.

There were lots of heroes. Dirk Nowitzki did his thing late in the game. Jason Terry showed up, giving that Mavs the spark that they needed to complete its game-ending 23-5 run. ‘The Matrix’ put in work with 20 points, 8 boards and plenty of hard work on the defensive side of the court. Even Deshawn Stevenson canned a few early long bombs to get Dallas out of the starting gate.

There were lots of goats. LeBron James dribbled the ball way too much in the fourth quarter. As hot as Dwyane Wade was – and he was scorching – he couldn’t muster anything to put Dallas’ momentum to a halt. Joel Anthony, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem combined to score a measly two points. And Chris Bosh basically took the night off (as illustrated by his ‘effort’ to guard Dirk in the closing seconds of the game).

With all that said, the game ball for Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals goes to Erik Spoelstra.

In the midst of the Dallas turnaround, I counted five possessions that Miami ran absolutely no offense. LeBron James was simply given the ball, with the assumption that he was going to run down the shot clock and settle for a low-percentage field goal attempt.

Without question, the best way for any team to maintain a lead is through continuing to run and properly executing its offense. Surely, the opposition will increase its intensity at both ends of the floor – specifically getting more aggressive during its offensive possessions. But it was quite clear to observe that the Heat were in ‘run-out-the-clock’ mode, which was absolutely absurd given the fact that the Mavs began their run with more than six minutes remaining.

Spoelstra allowed his players to lose control of a game in which they had a 15-point, fourth quarter lead.

Spoelstra gets the game ball for not being able to command that his troops continue to execute. Minutes before the Dallas run, Miami showed us something that we had rarely seen. LeBron James ran off of a baseline screen – that’s right, James was actually playing off the ball for something other than an alley-oop. He used the screen and had a straight angle to the rim, which he took (and came up short on his layup try). While that doesn’t signify an in-depth analysis on how to stunt Dallas’ run, it’s an example of a play that could have enabled the Heat to hold on enough to emerge as the victors.

It’s understood that the players ultimately determine the outcome of games, but those players have a leader.  Spoelstra is the head coach, and he needs to be that leader in these types of situations.  Given the swinging momentum at hand, it was his job to command the attention of his players – superstars and role players, alike – and make them realize the importance of running designed formations.

Instead, the Mavericks came up big and have to feel vindicated. They’ve been no strangers to comebacks, as they’ve been able to pull them off against Portland, Los Angeles and, most notably, Oklahoma City. But the truth is that they were fortunate to get this win, especially after watching a second quarter, nine-point advantage dwindle away in less than three minutes.

Prior to the game’s mid-point, Dallas had built the aforementioned margin by controlling the tempo and holding the ‘Big Three’ under wraps. But within this process, the Mavericks had squandered a number of opportunities that would have pushed their lead up to 15 points or more. Then D-Wade happened. What Wade had can only be described as ‘one of those nights.’ The 2006 Finals MVP went ballistic, scoring 20 points in the next 18 minutes of the game, including 3-pointers at both ends of his surge. It was his final triple – the one with which he held what would have been the game’s signature pose – that seemed to be the dagger in the hearts of the visitors.

But it wasn’t. Thanks to a team with a never say die attitude. Thanks to players who lost their aggression during crunch time.

And thanks to a head coach who, in the last half of the final quarter, didn’t coach.

T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com.  All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this author