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Game 6 Preview: 2011 NBA Finals

The Dallas Mavericks are 1 win away from becoming the 2011 NBA Champions. However, the Miami Heat are 2 wins away, with Games 6 & 7 scheduled for play in South Beach. Look for some possible coaching strategies and tactics below.

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra

> LeBron James could run more point guard today. This could mean Mike Bibby comes off the bench today, with Mike Miller starting.

> If not, Mario Chalmers could start in place of Mike Bibby as well. Chalmers has played well overall in this series.

> James Jones should get time today. He can hit shots in bunches and plays well with James. He might also draw the defensive assignments of J.J. Barea, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd.

> Udonis Haslem could also start today. Joel Anthony has done his job in logging minutes and covering players on defense, but otherwise he has not brought much to the table in this series. With him out, Zydrunas Ilgauskas could get time as the backup center, as he also plays well with James.

> Mario Chalmers could end up covering Jason Terry at the end of the game. This could shift LeBron James onto Kidd with Wade covering either Barea, Marion, or Stevenson depending on the Mavericks' end of game lineup. James has the ability to force a lot of turnovers on Kidd or at least neutralize Kidd's veteran 3-point shooting.


Dallas Mavericks: Rick Carlisle

> Keep the switch with J.J. Barea in the starting lineup and DeShawn Stevenson coming off the bench. If the Heat do run with Bibby off the bench, then they may need to put Stevenson or Stojakovic in to handle Miller.

> Continue to run plays with Jason Terry at the top of the 3-point arc. His presence at the top of the arc helps him to create space and neutralize the impact of double-teaming by James and the Heat.

> Keep Brian Cardinal in the rotation, even if Brendan Haywood is back in the rotation. Haywood is dealing with a nagging injury, while Cardinal brings versatility as a hardworking defender, good pick setter, and streaky jump shooter. If Haywood needs to stay inactive, then Ian Mahinmi should get some minutes as well, as he played well enough in Game 5 to warrant another look.

> Get Peja Stojakovic back in play. Although he has not yet earned his stripes in the playoffs, he also has not sat out and observed from the bench as he has in this series. He might bring a hot shooting touch into the lineup to close out this NBA Championship run for Dallas.

> Run the pick and roll with Kidd, Barea, and Terry at the point and Chandler, Haywood, Nowitzki, Cardinal, and Marion as the post player. The Heat defense prides itself on eliminating the opposition's movement; the key for the Mavericks is to keep the flow going on offense and avoid isolation sets unless the situation warrants it.

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