Mavs grab 2-0 lead

DALLAS - Jerry Stackhouse's 3-pointer split the net while he tumbled into his teammates' arms. He extricated himself from the jubilant Dallas bench and headed upcourt, pausing momentarily for a wide-eyed hug with coach Avery Johnson.

It wasn't even halftime, and the Mavericks were firmly in control of Game 2 of the NBA finals. Incredibly, they even had a handle on Shaquille O'Neal, who had the worst playoff game of his career.

Though they're still two games away from their first championship, the Mavs could celebrate a rip-roaring opening week in their thrilled Texas town.

Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and 16 rebounds in the Mavericks' 99-85 victory Sunday night, leading a balanced attack that came at the Heat in waves and eventually put Dallas up 2-0 in the series.

''We feel that this is an opportunity for us,'' Stackhouse said. ''We want to do all we can to prepare ourselves to be able to fulfill a dream of ours, and fulfill the dream of our city. We're one more step closer to that.''

An offensive explosion is no surprise in Dallas, where fans have been treated to one of the NBA's most exciting teams for years.

O'Neal's statistics were the real eye-catchers in Game 2: A career playoff-low five points, six rebounds and a fourthquarter benching for the three-time finals MVP. Wary of simple double-teams, he frequently passed the ball out of the low post even before Dallas' second defender arrived.

Was he afraid of being fouled and going to the line, where he went 1-for-9 in Game 1 and 1-for-7 in this one? The self-described ''quotacious'' center wouldn't talk about what went wrong: He skipped the postgame interview session, earning a $10,000 fine from the NBA and socking his team with a $25,000 bill.

When the Heat take the court for Game 3 back home Tuesday night, somebody had better speak up. For two games, the Mavs have shackled one of his generation's greatest postseason performers, as his three NBA finals MVP awards attest.

Though Johnson claims no special insight, the Mavs' defense on O'Neal was unprecedented. After Shaq scored on Miami's first possession, he waited 20 1/2 minutes to get his only other field goal. He spent the final 15:13 on the bench, a towel draped on his head.

''He can't be as dominant as he wants to be right now,'' said Dwyane Wade, who had 23 points but also struggled. ''He's been in this situation more than anybody."