Free Throws…this guy could definitely shoot ‘em…Shaq made 2 big ones last night and Dirk missed a huge one lat as Miami rallied from 13 down to beat the Mavs 98-96 and get back into the series…Barry said this week he's still willing to work with Shaq. ''It's unfortunate he has the attitude he has,'' Barry said. ``As a result, his team is suffering. I could help him big-time. He has a wrist problem that would not be an issue if he shot underhanded. It's difficult and painful to watch, sad to see someone suffer through this. At least Wilt was willing to try everything.'' Wow, that’s cold…I thought the Heat were dead and gone, but 3 plays really stand out… shaq makes 2 free throws with 3 minutes left to pull the Heat within 93-90…then Haslem makes a steal off a pass intended for Nowitzki and knocks in both free throws to tie…then Gary Payton makes a 21 foot jumper with 9.3 seconds left to go up 97-95 and earlier than that the …Miami outscored Dallas 30-19 over the final quarter, and 22-7 over the final 6½ minutes…Dwyane Wade was awesome with 42 points on 14-26 from the field, including 1-2 from 3 and 13-18 from the line, 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 23 minutes…Fro the Mavs Jerry Stackhouse was atrocious with 4 points on 1-of-9 from the field…interesting lines from Wade and Shaq as Wade led the Heat in rebounds (13) on Tuesday night and Shaquille O'Neal led the team in assists (five). Actually, it was the 16th time that Shaq led his team outright in assists in a postseason game but the first since joining the Heat….weirdest thing of the night? Security officials escorted a woman from the Dallas locker room after she gained access to the shower area following the game

This from Elias: The Mavericks led the Heat 89-76 with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Miami rebounded for a 98-96 victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The last team to win an NBA Finals game in which it trailed by 13 or more points during the fourth quarter was Michael Jordan's Bulls, against the Trail Blazers in Game 6 of the 1992 Finals. Portland led 79-64 to start the fourth quarter, but the Bulls won the game 97-93 and with it their second championship.

Drunk Dukie alert: I’m betting that JJ Redick will not contest the drunk driving charges against him…if he does it will be the first defensive tendency he’s exhibited in his whole career…
Like usual, guys are never as tall or big as they are listed by their NCAA programs: http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1342

1) Mike Kahn of Foxsports.com with his Game 3 recap:

Wade's monster game lifts Heat to win

There was life after death for the Miami Heat after all. Down 2-0 in the NBA Finals, trailing by 13 midway through the fourth quarter at home to the ubiquitous Dallas Mavericks, and the scale tipping from bleak to hopeless, there was only one place to turn. Paging Dwyane Wade...Struggling with a strained left knee he suffered in the third quarter, Wade scored 15 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter, and Gary Payton's 19-footer with 9.3 seconds left — his only shot of the game — proved to be the game-winner in a 98-96 victory. The Heat now have a chance to tie the series at home Thursday night, with Game 5 in Miami as well on Sunday. If need be, Games 6 and 7 would be in Dallas. But on this occasion, the Heat jumped out quickly and aggressively in the first quarter, opening up a 10-point lead, and even led by nine at the half. And yet, the Heat started to fall apart as the second half unfolded, and looked finished by the midway portion of the third quarter and well into the fourth quarter as the Mavs hit 20 of their first 28 shots after intermission. Whether it was Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard or Jason Terry, the Mavs were deadly and appeared to have the game and the series completely under control. Then Wade began his run with a jumper from the wing, driving the baseline for a 3-point play, then after James Posey nailed a trey, Wade added a jumper from the key and a spectacular double-clutch drive down the baseline. It was hard to figure what happened to the Mavericks. It wasn't their offense as much as their defense. The aggressive collapsing man-to-man and zone defenses that had kept Wade out of sync much of the series, evaporated into thin air. After Shaquille O'Neal sank two free throws, Wade sank another baseline jumper to pull the Heat within one. And Udonis Haslem stepped in front of Nowitzki to steal a lazy pass from Terry, drew the foul and gave the Heat their first lead — 94-93 — with 63 seconds left to complete an 18-4 run. Oh, it required a missed free throw from the 94 percent freebie shooting Nowitzki, and Payton nailing the jumper after making just 1-of-8 in the first two games, but it reflected what greatness is all about. Heat coach Pat Riley, the only coach in NBA history to go 12 years between coaching in the Finals, kept his cool and so did his players. This was the game that reflected the experience of Riley, the Heat veterans like Payton, and the greatness of Wade. Sure, there was the early aggressiveness of O'Neal — not to mention him hitting his first two and last two free throws (4-of-6 overall) after making just 2-of-16 in the first two games, and doling out five assists. On the surface, things looked pretty normal for the Mavericks, shooting 48 percent from the field, with Nowitzki pouring in 30 points, Howard tossing in 21 and Terry adding 16. In fact, Erick Dampier again was superb at center with 14 points, nine rebounds and a block, outplaying O'Neal inside for several stretches during the game. But the Heat pounded the Mavericks on the glass, one of the worst beatings they've taken inside all season, and it was reflective of how badly the Heat didn't want to let it all go just yet. Yes, it required a Jordanesque performance by Wade, and he lifted the entire team on his back — but we would be remiss to ignore Haslem's gutsy performance, the 16 points and 11 rebounds from O'Neal and Payton's clutch shot. It's only one game and only seven teams have ever rallied from down 2-1 to ever win the Finals. Then again, no teams have ever come back from 3-0, so who's to say what will happen now? It couldn't look much worse than it did midway through the fourth quarter, so don't be considering any last rites for the Heat just yet. There might just be more left in that aging tank than we thought.

The stud - Dwyane Wade was spectacular with 42 points, 13 rebounds and 15 points in the fourth quarter — 12 in the final 6:15 of the game. He did this despite straining his left knee in the third quarter, and that's without understanding the difficulty of retaining his aggressiveness despite picking up his fifth foul with 10:56 left in the game.

The dud - Jerry Stackhouse, who had been such a strong factor averaging 16.0 points in the first two games, was awful Tuesday. He was indecisive on both ends of the floor, including 1-of-9 shooting, four points and one rebound in more than 31 minutes.

The quote - Heat coach Pat Riley: "It didn't look good. It didn't feel good. We were stuck in mud. I think it was a case that we wanted it so much. A team that had turnovers in the first half and missing layup after layup ... it was tough. "(But). I've seen Dwyane do that before - overcome fatigue and injury, incredible. The heart that he has ... the only thing was, we were down by 12 and he was pacing himself for the end. He just rises to the occasion. He kept it very simple at the end. He kept making play after play after play."

This and that - Despite a strain and a contusion in his left arm, Heat forward Udonis Haslem started and played 34 minutes. He struggled lifting his arm, but was a rock down the stretch for the Heat, with a big steal and he finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and three steals. .., Early in the third quarter came the scariest play of all when Shaquille O'Neal drew a charge, and all 325 pounds of him landed on his buddy Dwyane Wade's knee. Undaunted, Wade took over in the fourth quarter, including his 12th trey of the playoffs to start the fourth quarter after having just 13 the entire regular season. The Heat were saddled with two technical fouls in the first half, the first when Dwyane Wade allegedly hung on the rim too long on a reverse dunk 7:30 minutes into the first quarter. Then just less than three minutes into the second quarter, Shaquille O'Neal was inexplicably called for fouling Dirk Nowitzki on a missed jump shot when there was clearly no contact. When Gary Payton questioned official Jack Nies on the call, Nies socked him with a technical. Just the simple fact that Nies and Ken Maurer are officiating a Finals game is an indictment of the system. Yes, the third member of Tuesday's crew, Danny Crawford, belongs in the Finals. The arrogant Nies has been beyond capable of calling a Finals game for many years and Maurer hasn't proven to ever be qualified. Time and again it's been apparent too many crews have been used. Nies should no better than to compound a horrible call with a technical foul. Even worse, Nies made a phantom foul call on Mavs point guard Jason Terry with 42.8 seconds left. Terry, by the way, conceded that he's been playing with a chipped bone in his right thumb for nearly five months and will require surgery after the season.

The statbook - The two previous times the Lakers were down 2-0 in the Finals when Pat Riley was coach, they were swept. ... Entering the game, Mavericks sixth man Jerry Stackhouse had scored 32 points off the bench compared to 22 for the Heat bench overall. The Mavs bench has outscored the Heat 27-8 Tuesday night and now has a 92-30 advantage in the series. But of those eight points, five of them came in the fourth quarter, and three in the final 42 seconds — including Gary Payton's game-winner with 9.3 seconds left. ... Only the 1969 Celtics and 1977 Trail Blazers have come back from 0-2 to win the Finals. Nobody has ever come back from 0-3. ... The Heat crushed the Mavericks on the boards 49-34 and they outrebounded them 45-43 in Game 1. Those are the only two playoff games of the 20 during which the Mavericks have been outrebounded. ... The Heat now has won 24 consecutive games when leading at halftime, and this was the first loss all season for the Mavs when Josh Howar d scores at least 20 points. They were 25-0 until Tuesday night.

2) Marc Stein with some funny stuff from the Diesel:

Shaq's Top 10 NBA Finals quotes

DALLAS -- Four days off before Game 1. Two days off between Game 1 and Game 2. Shaquille O'Neal isn't the only one who wants to see more of the basketball. Luckily we have Shaq's levity to help us laugh a little during these drawn-out downtimes. It surfaced again Saturday afternoon when Shaq, one of the few participants in these NBA Finals who didn't look jittery in that long-ago series opener, uncorked some vintage material to explain why it's OK for him to weigh more than 320 pounds. "Because I'm a freak of nature," Shaq said. "You've never seen anyone this big -- this sexy -- move this way. "I wasn't born. I was found on a train," Shaquille O'Neal told the media on Saturday. "My numbers [on the scale], sometimes it's going to be a higher number and you earthlings -- when you hear a high number -- because of your level of thinking you're automatically going to think it's fat. I've been 11, 12 percent body fat [for] my whole career. But when you've got a big, sexy, beautiful man that's up in the 340s, 350s, the way you guys were taught on this planet, you're going to automatically think it's fat." O'Neal has always been a quipster, of course, but especially so on the Finals stage, where he genuinely seems to enjoy climbing onto an interview deck and meeting the worldwide media every day. "Quotacious" is how he referred to himself during the 2001 NBA Finals, his third of six career visits to the game's grandest stage.
How many more are in store for the 34-year-old? I don't detect any concern from him that this could be a last hurrah. Then again, Shaq's looseness with so much on the line suggests that he's not worried about much, even with Miami facing the possibility of a 2-0 deficit and even after two days of dour debate about Shaq's limited offensive impact in Game 1. In that carefree spirit, here is one man's top-10 list of Shaq's most memorable Finals ramblings:

1. The setting: After Game 2 of the 2002 Finals against New Jersey - The situation: Shaq is so thoroughly dominant -- rumbling for 40 points, 12 boards and eight assists against the Nets' overmatched front line -- that he even made 12 of 14 free throws, leading to a 23-point rout in the Lakers' eventual sweep. The unexpected success at the line prompts Shaq to uncork a string of barbs at then-Sacramento coach Rick Adelman, who had complained during the Western Conference finals about O'Neal stepping over the line. The Shaq Smack: "That game was dedicated to Rick Adelman. I'm at home, in the bathroom, trying to take a dump, flipping through the channels and he's complaining (on TV) about how I'm stepping over the line. I can't even do a No. 2 in peace. I'm sitting there grunting at 12:30 at night. Can I go one day without somebody saying something negative about me?"

2. The setting: Before Game 4 of the 2001 Finals against Philadelphia - The situation: Even though L.A. holds a 2-1 series lead, Shaq is openly frustrated with what he deems to be "flopping" from Sixers center Dikembe Mutombo. The Shaq Smack: "Challenge me. Treat me like a game of checkers and play me. That's all I'm asking, just play me. Treat me like Sega and play me."

3. The setting: Before Game 5 of the 2004 Finals against Detroit - The situation: With the Lakers down, 3-1, to the Pistons and on the brink of an elimination that would ultimately dissolve the Shaq-Kobe Bryant-Phil Jackson triangle, O'Neal is asked if "Kobe's confidence in himself sometimes become a detriment to himself and to the team." The Shaq Smack: "That's sort of a trick question and I don't have a trick answer. Next question, please. You're not going to get me with that question today, buddy ... I'm a veteran at this, buddy. Can't get that with me, buddy. Not today."

4. The setting: After Game 3 of the 2000 Finals against Indiana - The situation: O'Neal misses 10 free throws in a nine-point Lakers loss and is asked why he can't "conquer" his free-throw demons. The Shaq Smack: "I think everything happens for a reason. With my game being the way it is, if I did shoot 80 percent, I'd be a harder person to deal with. It just keeps me humble. Just imagine me in my game shooting the same percentage that Reggie Miller shoots. I wouldn't even talk to you guys because I wouldn't have to."

5. The setting: Before Game 4 of the 2001 Finals against Philadelphia - The situation: With the Lakers closing in on back-to-back titles, O'Neal is asked how much he had matured since his Orlando Magic got swept by Houston in the 1995 Finals. The Shaq Smack: "I failed, I think, seven [or] eight times before I finally got my first [championship]. It was just, you know, just about me growing up. Now that I'm an old, old veteran -- age 29 -- I do things a lot differently. I don't go to the gentlemen's clubs anymore. I had to slow that down."

6. The setting: After Game 2 of the 2004 Finals against Detroit - The situation: The Lakers had just recorded what would be their only win of the series, and Shaq -- asked to rate rookie Luke Walton's passing skills after Walton recorded eight assists -- takes a thinly veiled shot at Kobe in the process. The Shaq Smack: "It amazes me how [Walton] can give me the ball and guys that have been playing with me four, five, six years can't give me the ball."

7. The setting: Before Game 5 of the 2001 Finals against Philadelphia - The situation: The Lakers need only one more victory to complete a record 15-1 march through the playoffs. The Shaq Smack: "It's just one more win. I don't give a [bleep] how we do it, as long as we get it done. Did I say [bleep]? I'm sorry."

8. The setting: Before Game 4 of the 2000 Finals against Indiana - The situation: Glen Rice's wife, Christina, criticizes Lakers coach Phil Jackson for limiting her husband's playing time and O'Neal is asked whether the Rice story is becoming a distraction. The Shaq Smack: "Yeah, I had some rice with my chicken last night. I wanted some gravy, but gravy was fattening and I'm trying to lose weight."

9. The setting: After Game 4 of the 2000 Finals against Indiana - The situation: Shaq fouls out, but Kobe carries L.A. to an unforgettable overtime victory that goes down as Bryant's first truly Jordanesque moment. Having dubbed himself The Big Aristotle just weeks earlier after winning his first and only MVP award, O'Neal is asked to give Bryant a new nickname. The Shaq Smack: "The Big Little Brother."

10. The setting: Earlier this week, before Game 1 of the 2006 Finals - The situation: Shaq's favorite interviewer of all-time might be Dallas radio personality Corby Davidson, who always barrages O'Neal with a series of inventive -- and often politically incorrect -- questions whenever Shaq hits town. On this occasion, Davidson asks: "Let's just say that a snake bit your mom right here, right on the chest area, would you be willing to suck the venom out to win the title?" The Shaq Smack: "No, but I would with your wife."

3) Chris Eckstrand of SI.com reports on the guys who stood out at the NBA Pre-Draft camp in Orlando:

Raising eyebrows - The most impressive performers from Pre-Draft Camp

The 2006 NBA Pre-Draft Camp was many things to many people. For some it was a chance to gauge if they should stop testing the waters and dive in, or yank those toes out of the water and return to the security of their college environment. For others it was a chance to shake off their "early second round" status and fight for one of the remaining spots in the first round. For still others it was a chance to fight their way out of the uncertainty of rookie free-agent status and try to get into the second round, from which not a single player was cut in '05, the first time that had ever happened. Here's a brief review of what went on last week in Orlando. We will focus on those players who either delivered the best performances in the camp or those whose play at least kept them in the running for a spot in the draft.

Jordan Farmar, UCLA sophomore point guard - Farmar came into camp as the most highly regarded prospect to play in Orlando, and while his statistics didn't wow observers, he showed why he is so respected. Farmar has a calm court demeanor that gives the impression he's got everything under control. He simply reacted to the defense and made the best play for his team. Several times after receiving an outlet pass in the backcourt he identified an open teammate well ahead of the play, and instead of dribbling the ball all the way up, he artfully moved the ball ahead with a 50-foot lead pass. Farmar took and made a few perimeter shots when they presented themselves, but mostly he displayed the kind of court vision and savvy only veteran guards have. Whether he stays in the draft or not, Farmar will have to add some overall body strength to play against NBA point guards, but his skill level is pretty good, and he's only 19 years old.

Renaldo Balkman, South Carolina junior forward - Balkman's name did not appear in many mock drafts because it was assumed he would return to South Carolina for his senior season. He jumped one hurdle when he won an invitation to the camp, which was hardly a certainty. Once the games started, Balkman was the most active player in every game he played in and was the surprise player of the camp. Not overly tall or big, Balkman moved around the court with an ease and speed that was astonishing. He was in the middle of every big play, snatching rebounds from bigger players, dribbling upcourt like a guard leading the fast break and arriving on the scene of every loose ball first and controlling it. His camp numbers -- 10.3 points and nine rebounds per game -- don't come close to conveying his impact. Both players and camp coaches (who are mostly former NBA players) were shaking their heads at the ubiquitous Balkman. "It's like a six-on-five out there," said one camp coach. It remains to be seen whether Balkman's play vaulted him into the first round or merely into a leading position in the second round. Either way, Balkman has a big decision to make by June 18, the deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the draft.

Justin Williams, Wyoming senior power forward - Back on Feb. 24, I wrote in this space about Williams as one of the best draft prospects most fans had not heard about. Williams has since taken his shot-blocking exploits to the Mountain West Conference final game (six blocks), the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (seven blocks in three games) and the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, where he blocked 14 shots in three games, including eight blocks in a single game. Williams is a lean power forward who needs to gain some weight and further develop his offensive arsenal, but shot-blocking at the top levels of basketball is a rare skill, and Williams has it. In addition to that NBA-level skill, Williams surprised me by hitting several face-up jump shots out to 20 feet at the camp, something I didn't know he was capable of. Williams rebounds hard all the time, and his aggressiveness and fearlessness are qualities teams should take a close look at. Williams has moved up into late-first-round or at least early-second-round consideration.

Denham Brown, Connecticut senior guard - Unlike many other players at the camp, Brown has already been scouted playing against older, more experienced players, as a member of the Canadian national team. Scouts feel very secure that they know what Brown can provide, which is very important because Brown was never a featured player at Connecticut, which this past season had players with the potential to go in the first round.
Brown looked like a seasoned shooting guard in Orlando, hitting double figures in scoring in each of the three games and averaging a camp-best 15 points a game. Brown, who has enough size to compete at the two and three spots, took only the shots he wanted to take. He demonstrated perimeter skills like using his strength to clear room for a shot, and one side dribble to make sure his feet were set before shooting. Whether Brown makes his way into the late first round or not, he demonstrated that he has what it takes to play in the NBA.

Louis Amundson, UNLV senior power forward - Amundson was a lightly regarded player entering the camp. He was named Second Team All-Mountain West Conference, but that recognition hardly caused a ripple among NBA scouts. Amundson rarely got a chance to show what he could do against the better teams and better players in college basketball. From the very first minute he was on the court in Orlando, though, everyone knew who Amundson was: He was the guy crashing into people and taking their rebounds away. He continued to hustle his way to tip-ins, putbacks and the occasional fast-break basket, and before you knew it he was flirting with double doubles in games in which he played only 20 minutes. NBA teams understand the value of a role player who relishes the chance to do the dirty work: setting picks, fighting for rebounds, playing tough interior defense. Amundson almost certainly would not have been drafted if he did not attend the camp. Now he's almost certain to hear his name called on draft night.

Allan Ray, Villanova senior guard - The backcourt partner of expected lottery pick Randy Foye, Ray is a small shooting guard, not a favorite category for NBA draft-day decision-makers. Ray, however, has been in the national spotlight often in the last couple of years and has produced well in tight spots. In Orlando he nailed perimeter shots with quick release. He showed the know-how and athletic ability to either create a shot for himself with his quickness or come off a screen properly and get a shot off quickly. Ray is the kind of cold-blooded shooter who won't stop shooting if he misses a couple, and he never loses confidence. Over a long NBA season those qualities will stand Ray in good stead. He might not make it to the start of Foye's draft-night party, but when he does get there, they should both have something to celebrate.

Others who played well and likely embellished their draft status included:

Taj Gray, Oklahoma senior power forward - Gray made some loud dunks and slapped down some emphatic blocked shots. He brought big energy every game and is a strong candidate for the second round.

Kenny Adeleke, Hartford senior power forward - The hardworking Adeleke punished opponents under the boards and clubbed his way to a double double for the camp (12.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg). It was nothing pretty, except pretty effective.

J.R. Pinnock, George Washington junior guard - Pinnock scored with variety, mixing his athletic drives with good three-point shooting. He has an NBA body and, since he has signed with an agent and will stay in the draft, will elicit some strong looks from teams.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu, George Washington senior forward - Pops is an explosive player who hits the target in terms of NBA athleticism for his position. He showed some offensive moves, probably just enough to be intriguing to teams.

Curtis Stinson, Iowa State junior guard - He's a combo guard prospect, and he showed some indications that he can handle the point guard as well as the shooting guard spot. Already signed with an agent and staying in the draft, he is a superb athlete who needs to find the right team in order to stick in the league.

Darius Washington Jr., Memphis sophomore guard - While the consensus of scouts seems to be that Washington should return to school, he showed NBA people he had the ability to score against some of the top defensive players in the camp. He still needs to demonstrate more of a point guard mentality to further interest NBA teams.

A few other players who before the camp were likely to be drafted in the second round played well enough to hold their positions but didn't catapult their way upward in the draft. Among these were Steve Novak of Marquette, James Augustine of Illinois, Solomon Jones of South Florida, Eric Hicks of Cincinnati and Taquan Dean of Louisville.