Dallas to bury Miami on the beaches of Florida in Games 3, 4 and 5

Games 3, 4 and 5 will be held at Miami in the NBA's 2-3-2 format during these

NBA Finals.

All three games will be critical, especially for the Miami Heat who are now down three games to nil.

On the other hand, it will be as important for the Mavericks, as they try to at least win one of these three games and hope to win the NBA Championship in front of their fans for Game 6.

Well, with the way the Mavericks are going, they could very well JUST SWEEP the Heat at home. And with a consistent German assassin in Dirk Nowitzki, an explosive high-flying jet in Jason Terry, and a rejuvenated Jerry Stackhouse coming off the bench, the Mavericks are certainly capable of ending this series in Miami's yard.

Shaquille O'Neal was NEUTRALIZED in games 1 and 2. Erick Dampier did a wonderful job against the Diesel in the first two games of the NBA Finals.

Throw in DeSagana Diop, too.

Yes, it's probably unrealistic to expect the Mavericks' tandem to hold O'Neal to another five-point game as they did in Game 2, Shaq's worst game ever in the playoffs. However, with these Mavericks, anything's possible.

They also can't afford to let him run like a bull, dragging the Heat back into the series with him. What the Mavs have done is make it hard for Shaq's teammates to hit him with passes over Dampier or Diop. And they are double-teaming from many angles as soon as O'Neal gets the ball. Basically, the Mavs are admitting that they think O'Neal can beat them. They're just determined not to let it happen.

Heck, if they can stop O'Neal like they did in Games 1 and 2, all that's left to stop is Dwyane Wade, and Josh Howard is Dallas' primary candidate to pick up the assignment.

Truth is, though, that Dallas does have a bit more than hopeful schemes and a prayer to throw at the flu-ridden Wade. It has Josh Howard, too. Which is significant because Wade himself has said that Howard harasses him as well as any defender in the league.

The harassment started in college, where Howard shadowed Wade in two Wake Forest-Marquette duels. Howard's team won in 2001; Wade's team took the 2003 rematch.

[Who will be 2006 NBA Champions? Can Dallas bury Miami's season on the beaches of Florida for games 3, 4 and 5? Visit and bet on Bodog now.]