Piece of cake, right? No siree. Dallas went into a zone defense and forced the Heat to fire away from long distance, where they happened to make 11 of their 24 trey attempts. LeBron James (33 percent during the regular season) was 4-of-5. Whether you chalk it up to clutch shooting or good fortune, the basketball betting lines for Thursday’s Game 2 are holding steady at 4.5 points.

The Mavericks had their chances to win. Dirk Nowitzki (27 points) was arguably the best player on the floor in Game 1, making all 12 of his free throws. However, the vaunted Dallas bench came up dry: Jose Juan Barea was 1-of-8, and Peja Stojakovic missed all three of his 3-pointers to finish the day with a goose egg.

Miami’s height along the perimeter (especially when Mike Miller plays alongside James and Dwyane Wade) makes things more difficult for the Mavs shooters. But the Dallas bench isn’t likely to be that bad again. Okay, maybe Stjoakovic needs to be put out to pasture.

Miller left AmericanAirlines Arena with his shoulder in a sling after Game 1, and he wasn’t exactly the picture of health during Wednesday’s practice, but coach Erik Spoelstra shrugged it off and said Miller would be fine for Game 2.

Nowitzki jammed a finger on his left (non-shooting) hand and expects to play with a splint. The NBA lines for Thursday will include a full list of Nowitzki and James props – Mr. Miller could make an appearance, too. The total for Game 2 has dipped from 188.5 to 186 points.

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