DALLAS — Throughout his career, Dallas Mavericks reserve forward Brian Cardinal has become known as “the custodian.”

An odd moniker, to be sure.

But after his blocking foul, which easily could have gone the other way, against the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade with 4:01 remaining in the first quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night in Dallas, Cardinal might now be known as “the eliminator.”

The collision sent Wade to the locker room for treatment of a hip contusion that kept him out for the rest of the first quarter, part of the second and much of the third.

After the Mavericks’ 112-103 win that gave Dallas a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, Wade wasn’t about to disclose the severity of his injury and danced around questions about his health as the Heat literally limp back home for Sunday’s Game 6, and a possible Game 7 on Tuesday night.

“You know I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to talk about injuries,” Wade said Thursday night when asked to describe the injury and how it occurred. “It was unfortunate. I had to leave the game, but I came back and finished.”

That he did, leading the Heat with 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said he wasn’t quite sure Wade would return in the second half.

“(The medical staff) said, ‘He can’t start this half. We’ll let you know in a few minutes whether he can go or not,’ ” Spoelstra said. “My plan was for him not to go. I didn’t even see him on the bench when he came back.

“We went on from there; we still had an opportunity to close this out. We weren’t able to do it, and so now we go back to Miami. We wouldn’t have it any other way; we worked extremely hard to get that home court. Nothing that we’ve achieved this year has been easy, so we’re certainly not going to start now.”

Wade returned with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter and the Heat trailing 80-71. He scored 10 points the rest of the way but gave no indication whether it was difficult to return to the flow.

“Once you’re on the court, you’re on the court,” he said. “I don’t have no excuses; I was on the court. I was able to help my team get an opportunity to win, and I’ll be fine Sunday.”

SICK JOKE: After their shootaround Thursday morning before Game 5, Miami’s LeBron James and Wade were filmed “coughing” as they walked off the court.

They apparently were mocking forward Dirk Nowitzki, who led the Mavericks to a win in Game 4 in Dallas despite fighting a fever, sinus infection and 101-degree fever.

The Heat duo pretended to cough and wheeze and made jokes about the Texas heat.

 

CAN’T CLOSE: Once again, with James’ two fourth-quarter points as proof, the Heat has had difficulty closing out the Mavericks at crunch time, including letting a 15-piont lead slip with 7:30 remaining in Game 2 in Miami.

James, for example, has gone 2-of-4, 0-of-4, 1-of-3, 0-of-1 and 1-of-4 in the five fourth quarters in the series.

“We’ve had a few breakdowns late in games in this series that we didn’t have in the first three series, so it’s something we know we can do,” James said. “We just got to push through it. At this point we have no choice, honestly. We got two games left, and we worked hard all year to get home-court advantage, so we have to take advantage of it.”

Nowitzki, on the other hand, has outscored James 52-11 in the fourth quarter in the five games.

“It’s unfortunate,” Wade said. “Obviously, we put ourselves in a position on the road, especially, to win games. We haven’t been able to do that. That’s been our staple; that’s the reason we’re here.

“The good thing about life, and the good thing about this game, we get another opportunity, another crack at it. We know it’s the thing that’s going to either lose or win us a championship. It comes down to either not closing out games or closing it out. We have another game Sunday to be able to do that.”

MUST-SEE TV — AGAIN: Game 5 on ABC delivered a 12.6 rating, making it the highest-rated program Thursday night.

It was the 24th consecutive time the Finals have generated the highest-rated program in prime time. The 12.6 rating was the second-highest for a Game 5 in the past seven years, trailing last year’s 12.8 rating for the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.

DALLAS —
LeBron James doesn’t think the pressure is getting to him.

No, that’s not correct.

He doesn’t believe the pressure of the NBA Finals is getting to him.

No, no. That’s not quite right either.

James knows the pressure isn’t getting to him as the Heat faces elimination after back-to-back losses in Dallas.

After Thursday’s 112-103 loss, one that pushed the Heat to the edge of elimination, James was asked if he thought the pressure of the Finals and the pressure of fourth quarters were causing him to struggle. He then proceeded to offer up an interesting three-part answer.

“No, I don’t think so,” James said.

Self-correction.

“I don’t believe so,” James said.

One more try.

“I know I’m not,” James said.

Think, believe and know: There’s a big difference between those words, especially for a basketball world searching for reasons why James, arguably the best and most gifted player in the NBA, has suddenly gone into hibernation in fourth quarters of the NBA Finals. In the first five games of the Finals, James has scored 11 fourth-quarter points.

On Tuesday, James didn’t score in the fourth quarter, and Dallas tied the series at 2-2. On Thursday, James managed one field goal in four attempts. Still not enough. Dallas now holds a 3-2 edge and can clinch the best-of-7 series Sunday with a victory in Game 6.

Another sign of offensive frustration: James has only attempted 16 free throws in the Finals.

After Tuesday’s Game 4 loss, James acknowledged that his lack of offense contributed to the defeat. That wasn’t the case Thursday, though. James said the Heat had more than enough offense to defeat the Mavericks in Game 5 despite his two-point contribution in crunch time.

“I don’t think it was a case of offense again [Thursday night],” said James, who filled up the stat sheet with a triple-double, the Heat’s first in a postseason game. “There was enough offensive play. We shot 52 percent; they shot 56 percent. We scored 103 points; they scored 112. The offense wasn’t the problem.”

So, what’s the problem?

According to James, it’s the team’s suddenly sub-par defense.

As the series returns to Miami for the Heat’s last stand, the home team will attempt to return to its roots as well. If the Heat is to defeat the Mavericks twice in a row at AmericanAirlines Arena, then defense will be the reason why, said James.

“It starts defensively,” he said. “We’ve had a few breakdowns late in the games in this series that we didn’t have in the first three series. So, it’s something we know we can do.

“We just got to push through it. At this point, we have no choice, honestly.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra tried his best after Thursday’s loss to deflect the focus on the team’s recent struggles to the encouraging fact that the Heat now has a chance to close out the series at home. Game 2’s loss to Dallas was the Heat’s first home loss of the postseason.

“We’re going home, and we wouldn’t have it any other way than the hard way,” Spoelstra said. “This is an opportunity for us. That’s why you play a seven-game series. You got to play it out. And this is where we feel comfortable.”

Like James, forward Chris Bosh recognized the Heat’s defensive lapses Thursday and pointed to a new sense of urgency.

“This team has more offensive firepower than any team we’ve played,” Bosh said. “I mean, for the most part, we’ve been doing a good job defensively, especially in the fourth quarter. We had a lapse [Thursday]. And you know it won’t happen again. It can’t happen again.”

There’s a big difference between knowing and believing. Just ask James.

DALLAS —
For the game’s biggest star, it was a self-proclaimed career-defining game.

For the 20,000 clad in Mavericks royal blue, it was considered the game that would sustain their championship hopes.

For the NBA, it was a continuation of a Finals that has been nothing short of brilliant through the first five dramatic contests.

And for everyone in the American Airlines Center, it was as tense a setting as it gets for basketball.

The result was an absolute frenzy of baskets scored, a dizzying pace drenched in desperation.

In the end, LeBron James didn’t shrink under the extreme pressure. At least his swollen stat line wouldn’t suggest that.

A triple-double in a critical loss. It’s becoming a playoff trend for James.

Last time it happened, James and his Cavaliers were eliminated. This time, with the Heat losing 112-103 on Thursday, it merely puts the Heat one game away from elimination.

Game 6 is in Miami on Sunday.

From before the opening tip Thursday, it seemed every set of eyes was focused on James. The Heat’s polarizing superstar came off a historically bad playoff performance, by his standards. Tuesday’s Game 4 featured a detached, distance, passive James. It was a version of him that’s never been seen in a Heat uniform. When it was over, James had just eight points, the first time he had been held to single digits in 90 career playoff game. And with it came 48 hours of questions about his state of mind, about his ability to carry the Heat, about his heart.

It led to James admonishing himself for an “unacceptable” performance. And he began Thursday by calling Game 5 the biggest game of his career.

“I understand what is at stake,” James said Thursday morning. “This is a big game, probably the biggest game of my life. I’m approaching it that way. Not probably — it is.”

It’s no surprise James would put this kind of pressure on himself. It’s the kind of pressure he essentially asked for when he made the much-maligned decision to come to Miami.

However, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra hoped that the player with the largest target on his back would not think of the game in immeasurable terms.

“Our guys have been very good about managing all those emotions and compartmentalizing outside distractions, storylines, et cetera,” Spoelstra said. “… And we can’t think about … overwhelming thoughts.”

This process began with James forcing himself into the action. Rather than allow the game to come to him, the way he did to a fault in Game 4, he was active, aggressive, alert.

His first basket came on a slam dunk off a full-court pass from Dwyane Wade. He muscled his way to another easy basket after an offensive rebound. He was attacking the glass as well, grabbing six early rebounds and setting a dominant tone for the Heat on the boards.

And yet, the Heat couldn’t translate that into much success. Not when the Mavericks were experiencing one of those can’t-miss games.

Not when Dirk Nowitzki, arguably the most frightening offensive threat in the league when he’s got it going, was dropping in rainbow three-pointers as the shot clock expired. Not when Dallas was hitting 60 percent from the floor for most of the game. Not when Dallas shot an insane 68.4 percent from three-point range.

And especially not when the Heat’s most dangerous threat in this series, Wade, was injured.

Wade bruised his hip so badly in the opening quarter during a collision with Dallas’ Brian Cardinal that he fell to the hardwood in agony during a timeout.

Wade went to the locker room to be treated, came back on the floor moments later but was still affected by the painful right hip.

Wade even stayed behind in the locker room to start the second half in order to have his hip treated.

That scenario only added to the pressure on James.

The biggest game of his career now didn’t include the player he abandoned Cleveland to team with. At least not the version of Wade whom we had gotten used to in this series, when he was averaging 29.8 points in the first four games. Not until the end, anyway, but how could James anticipate that?

James didn’t force the issue despite the natural instinct to do so in that scenario. He played forcefully but still managed to dissect the Mavericks’ defense on occasion and finished with a triple-double, his first in these playoffs and his first since his last playoff game as a Cleveland Cavalier.

Back then, in last year’s Game 6 against the Celtics, James’ impressive statistical showing resulted in a loss, which ultimately led to his departure to Miami.

This time, he still has a shot at ultimate redemption.

Mere hours before the Heat’s Game 2 collapse that immediately fell into the all-timer category because of the stage and the stakes, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was praising his big man Chris Bosh.

Spoelstra was recalling how surprised he was to find that Bosh was as competitive as he was. A coach who has been associated with Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade, Tim Hardaway and LeBron James in his tenure with Miami called Bosh one of the most competitive players he has known.

If that’s the case, then the past two days have been pure misery for Bosh. It must have been difficult for Bosh to live with himself after the errors he made, the bucket he allowed, the foul he didn’t commit and the overall performance he offered.

For the player who has been called by his own teammates the most important player on the Heat, Bosh didn’t hold up his end of the bargain in Game 2. And frankly, that’s putting it politely.

Now, the least heralded member of the Big 3 is back in his hometown of Dallas, probably sulking, probably avoiding conversations with anyone he might recognize.

But he’s back with a chance to redeem himself. It’s an act he has accomplished before in these playoffs, reestablishing himself after a dreadful showing. This one, though, will be his most challenging recovery yet.

Dusting himself off after falling so horrifically in Thursday’s Game 2 might just be the ultimate test of Bosh’s first year in Miami. And given how much he already has been through, that’s saying quite a lot.

It wasn’t just the final seconds, although that will be the most memorable and most error-filled sequence if this loss turns into anything more than just a one-game setback.

It was the entire showing. In the previous game, a game where Bosh was critical of himself for making just 5 of his 18 field-goal attempts, he was far better than the shooting percentage indicated.

Bosh was aggressive in that contest, getting to the foul line 12 times, coming down with five offensive rebounds and nine total, dishing off three assists, swatting that J.J. Barea shot deep into the crowd and never turning the ball over once.

The Heat will live with misses from Bosh if the rest of his game is that complete.

Entering Thursday’s follow-up, there was no indication he would be anything but that player again. After all, since that emotionally overwhelming Game 3 in Boston when he managed just six points and five rebounds, Bosh has been the picture of consistency.

He followed that game up with a perfectly timed 20-and-12 game that included the game-sealing tip-in.

He had two a pair of 30-point games against Chicago, making Carlos Boozer look foolish on the court and for not including him in the list of Miami’s great players. He admitted then to being somewhat motivated by that omission by Boozer.

Maybe someone on the Mavericks needs to insult him. Or maybe that offensive performance Thursday will be enough of a stimulus.

Granted, Bosh tends to get lost in the Heat offense when Dwyane Wade or LeBron James, or both, are having one of their huge scoring nights. And Wade was on a tear through three-and-a-half quarters Thursday, essentially making Bosh a nonfactor for several segments of the game.

When he did get opportunities, he didn’t appear confident in his shot, falling in love instead with the pump fake. When he did drive, he was searching for contact rather than finishing with conviction.

CHICAGO —
Bring on Dallas, again.

The Heat won the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday at United Center with a hard-fought 83-80 victory against the Chicago Bulls. Miami now plays an old foe, the Mavs, in the NBA Finals, which will begin Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat beat the Bulls 4-1 in the best-of-7 series with a wild comeback on Thursday that lifted Miami to its first NBA Finals since breaking Dallas’ hearts in six games in 2006. The Heat broke the hearts of thousands in Chicago on Thursday.

The United Center crowd was deflated with 25 seconds left when Bulls guard Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, missed the second of two free throws to tie the score at 81. The Heat trailed by nine with less than three minutes to play but rallied with an amazing 16-2 run that ended with a midrange jumper by LeBron James with 29.5 seconds left.

Heat forward Chris Bosh made a pair of free throws with 16.8 seconds left, and James blocked Rose’s desperation three-point attempt to tie the score at the buzzer. James and Haslem, who doubled-teamed Rose at the end of the game, immediately hugged after capping the unlikely finish.

For the majority of Thursday’s Game 5, the Heat played some of its worst basketball of the season. Wade played poorly for three quarters but came alive at the end. The performance was similar to his effort in Game 4 when he failed to score in the second half but was key in overtime.

Wade favored his left shoulder throughout the game and received treatment on it during the third quarter. He finished with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting. He looked in mint condition with the game on the line, though. His four-point play with 1:30 cut the Bulls lead to three points.

Wade’s brilliance was sandwiched by a pair of three-pointers by LeBron James. His second three tied the game at 79 with 1:01 left. His midrange jumper gave the Heat the lead for good. James finished with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-19 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds and six assists. Chris Bosh, whose two free throws gave the Heat an 83-81 lead with 16.8 second left, finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The United Center was a cauldron of noise with 3:53 left in the fourth quarter on Thursday after Ronnie Brewer’s three-pointer to give the Bulls a nine-point lead but was silent in the final moments as the Heat took a moment to celebrate before refocusing for the finals.

Wade was benched midway through the third quarter after committing his ninth turnover of the game. He started the fourth quarter on the bench with a team trainer stretching Wade’s left shoulder. His nine turnovers in less than three quarters tied a Heat postseason record.

Wade entered the fourth quarter after a timeout with 10 minutes to play. His mid-range jumper from the wing cut the Bulls’ lead to 69-63 with 7:20 left. It was the Heat’s second field goal of the quarter and just its eighth of the second half. The Heat shot 33.3 percent in the third quarter but managed to outscore Chicago 19-17.

The third quarter highlighted the physical nature of the series. Carlos Boozer clotheslined LeBron James during the period and whistled for a flagrant foul. The Bulls shot just 23.8 percent in the period but managed to hold onto his lead with an inspired defensive effort.

Wade was called for a rare traveling violation with 6:20 left in the first half. The turnover was the Heat’s fifth of the first half and led to a mid-range jumper from Carlos Boozer that gave Miami a 12-point lead. On the Heat’s next possession, Wade again was whistled for traveling. The back-to-back turnovers highlighted a first half were the concentration that gave the Het a 3-1 lead in the series was suddenly lacking.

Wade finished the first half with six turnovers. Overall, the Heat had eight turnovers compared to just six assists and was out-rebounded by the Bulls 23-14.

The Bulls built a seven-point lead in the first quarter behind 19 combined points from Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. Deng’s three-pointer with a minute left in the period put Chicago ahead 25-18 but James answered with a three-pointer to end the quarter. Chicago shot 47.8 percent from the floor to begin the game while holding the Heat to 7-of-18 shooting from the field.