A tired and wounded Miami Heat team limped into Dallas without Dwayne Wade, who was back in Miami considering options on his dislocated shoulder. They had to face the team they eliminated in the NBA Finals last year, the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs took the floor with a chip on their shoulders' and revenge on their minds.

They got their revenge to the tune of 112-100.

The Mavs have the best record in the league at 45-9, and when they took the floor against Miami they looked like the best team in the NBA. Both teams had a lot of energy in the first quarter, but in the second, Dallas blitzkrieged the Heat. They outscored Miami 39-21.

Miami trailed at half time 65-42. It's the second night in a row the Heat allowed an opponent to score in the 60's in the first half.

The Heat struggled to score without D-Wade. They dumped the ball into Shaq on almost every possession. Shaq did what he could, but he's still not in shape. He often fumbled the ball and settled for lay-up attempts instead of going to his ghetto game and dunking everything within five feet of the rim. He was active again though, for the second night in a row. He finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Jason Williams was back in the starting line up for the first time in weeks. He looked good running the team, but the Heat looked confused on offense. It's obvious they need a couple of practices to figure out how they are going to play without Wade. Williams finished with 13 points and four assists. 

A big problem for Miami in these last two games is the play from the power forward position. Udonis Haslem and Antoine Walker have given them nothing. Haslem had some points in garbage time, turned the ball over several times and missed several easy baskets. Walker was ejected late in the third quarter for a hard foul on Dirk Nowitzki. Walker finished with two points.

The Heat will take on the Cavs on Sunday. Between now and then, they need to figure out where they are going to go on offense. Shaq's the number one option, but when he's doubled or not hitting his shots the Heat need to identify a second scorer. Their best options are either Kapono or Jwil. Both players need to take advantage of this opportunity, and show the league what they are capable of.