Dirk Nowitzki entered Miami nostalgic about returning to the place he led the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title.
He left with a 99-95 loss to the Heat.
But perhaps correct officiating down the stretch would have produced a different result.
Before Tyler Johnson hit a key late 3-pointer, Miami got away with two violations, according to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report.
First, Goran Dragic should’ve been called for travelling with 1:47 left:
Failing that, Hassan Whiteside should’ve been whistled for a three-second violation with 1:45 left:
Either call would’ve ended the Heat’s possession. Instead, they kept swinging the ball until Johnson hit his 3-pointer.
We’ll never know how the game would’ve played out with a correct call, but at different points, Dallas trailed by just two and three while having to intentionally foul.