It took a heroic preformance from Dywane Wade last night for the Heat to win their first game of the NBA finals. Shaq looked good early on, but started to fizzle towards the second half. While he didn’t have the monster night that many were expecting, he did manage to nail two key free throws near the end of regulation. Shaq and Wade weren’t the only contributors however. Gary Payton hit a clutch 2 to put the Heat up by 2 with 9.3 seconds remaining in the game.

It was nice to see the Heat finally come alive in the playoffs. In the begining of the 4th quarter you could just sense that the game was slipping away, and that the Heat were going to go down 3-0. The Heat players must have sensed it too however, because they responded.

The next game is Thursday night.

Steelers fans were shocked yesterday after learning that Ben Roethlisberger was hurt in a motorcycle accident. Ben is currently listed as being in serious but stable condition at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.

According to reports, Roethlisberger suffered a 9″ laceration on the back of his head, a broken jaw, a fractured left sinus cavity, lost or chipped a number of teeth, and injured both knees when hitting the ground. There seems to be some debate as to the severity of the knee injuries that Roethlisberger sustained. As a Steeler fan, I know that the knee injuries have the potential to hamper or even ruin Roethlisberger’s career. I can only hope that they’re minor as some reports suggest.

Tomorrow is the start of the NBA finals. Oh yeah! This post season has already been quite an exciting one, with a lot of good matchup’s and some 7 game series. I think this years finals has two great teams, both of which I’m rooting for.

The Mavs survived the Spurs and have Dirk, one of the most dominant players in the playoffs. They also have Jason Terry (JET) who is not only a good player but is surprisingly well spoken. Another key advantage they have is the depth of their bench. They’ll need everyone one it to try and control the Diesel.

The Heat are the team I like to consider the “good ole boys”. They just remind me of the side you want to win in a battle of good vs evil. They have Shaq, one of the greatest big men to ever play the game, and Dwyane Wade, a guy who truly embodies the nickname “Flash”. The Heat’s bench is not quite as deep as its opponents, but they do feature an allstar cast of players.

Ok I’m done typing.

Mavs in 6