Big Story:
I slammed Gregg Doyel of sportsline.com earlier in the week after he asked LeBron about shrinking in the fourth quarter. I was wrong, Doyel was right.
Okay, LeBron played poorly down the stretch again last night. But it was more than just LeBron, it was the entire Heat defense. They all disappeared in the fourth quarter…AGAIN.
Plus, the Marlins are sinking faster than Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign, and there continues to be progress in the lockout as both sides want it over, and no one wants Terrelle Pryor.
Let's drop this agenda like a Dirk Nowitzki free throw.

Firsties!
How tough is it to be LeBron James?
He went for a freaking triple-double in the NBA Finals and people are still trashing him.
Why you ask?
Because in the fourth quarter, his offensive game disappeared again. It's easy to pick on LeBron for some things, but I just have a question of shot selection.
He was shooting well over 70 percent from inside of about 10 feet last night. He was 1-9 outside of ten feet and 0-4 beyond the three point line.
But the shot that has me scratching my head was the three pointer with around a minute left. He was wide-open and clanked it off the back of the iron. People are slamming him for it. But on the same hand, they'd slam him for passing it if another player missed the shot.
He really is in a no-win situation.
I can't really fault LeBron because he's been asked to play point guard for the most part in this series and while he can, it's not his top position.
Trust me, the one thing Spoelstra and Riley will have LeBron working on in the offseason and preseason to next year will be his post-up game in the paint.

Heat: (next game vs. Dallas, Game 6, Sunday night, 8:00 p.m.)
Now that we've got LeBron out of the way, let's look at a few other elements that cost the Heat a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.
First, there is the issue of Dwyane Wade's injury. He played sparingly in the second quarter and when he was out there, he was essentially a decoy. But give Wade credit, he didn't blame the injury for the loss and instead just said they have to close out a game to get to the promised land.
Next, can someone please put a body in front of J.J. Barea. I'm not talking about giving him the Andrew Bynum treatment, but get in front of him and stop his penetration. He ate the Heat alive last night driving to the basket and hitting open 3 pointers.
Which brings me to my next point.
If Dirk is going to be the Mavs offense, leave him one-on-one with Haslem, Bosh, or Anthony. Don't double-team him and instead keep a hand in the face of the other Dallas shooters.
Next, the Heat have to stop the pick and roll of Tyson Chandler. He's a beast, but can only score on a lob or a dunk. Make him beat you from the outside.
And speaking of the outside, the Heat have to stay with their man, pure and simple. I can't tell you how many times I saw last night a Mavericks player running away from the Heat's once vaunted defense. They've got to stick to them like glue. If the Mavs hit wild shots like they hit last night from Terry and Dirk, then my hat's off to them for being the better team, but you've got to get a hand in their face when they're shooting.
Next, the Heat have to impress on LeBron to go inside, even if it means taking more difficult shots. He's got to get down low and command the ball. He can take Marion, Terry, and Stevenson to the basket from the post, so he's got to be willing to do that.
That's a lot, but you have to also remember, the Mavericks played as well as they possibly could last night.
They shot nearly 70 percent from 3-point land. If they miss 4 of those shots, guess what, game over, Heat win. That's why it's imperative to cover the guys on the outside much more closely.
Still, you're not going to see a team shot 70 percent again in the Finals. It was a fluke, but gave the Mavericks plenty of confidence heading into Game 6 Sunday night.
Speaking of Game 6, the Heat's fans have to bring it like they've never brought it before in Game 6. Unfortunately for the Heat, the majority of the fans in the lower bowl will be content to just watch instead of going nuts like Dallas' fans.
It is kind of funny watching the fair-weather Heat fans jumping off the bandwagon like cats out of water. But Sunday night, everyone better go nuts or Dallas will be celebrating a championship on the Heat's home court.
I think one thing you'll see at home is the Heat not getting called for ticky-tack loose ball fouls like they were in Dallas, especially in the fourth quarter. That's what pushed Dallas to stay close because a loose ball foul got them into the penalty and then Dirk gets to the free throw line and any lead evaporates in a hurry.
Plus, the NBA and ABC desperately want this series to go to a pivotal Game 7. The refs will have an unspoken rule to try and help the Heat out if the Heat take the game to the Mavericks and stand on the gas the whole game.
D-Wade said they have to close out a game.
Truer, and more simple words, could not be said.
One last thing, kudos to the Miami Heat bench last night. They stepped up big and gave the Heat 40 points to try and help stem the tide of Wade being out of the game. Big props to Mario Chalmers who went for 15 and Mike Miller who went for 10. Combined they shot 70 percent from behind the three-point line.
Keep the faith Heat fans….and watch the rest of the Heat get out of D-Wade's way in Game 6.

Marlins: (vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 7:10 p.m., Fox sports Florida)
I loved the headline on Marlins.com that said Marlins lose another squeaker.
No, the Marlins got swept by the Braves and continue to free fall out of contention in the NL East. I guess management is happy, because they don't care about this season anyways. Well, they don't care about anything except lining their own pockets and fleecing taxpayers for a stadium, but that's beside the point.
The Marlins are now just 1.5 game ahead of the New York Mets and now have to welcome in the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Friday night, the Fish turn to Anibal Sanchez to stop the freefall.
Anibal is 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA in May, but was shelled pretty hard in his last start. And the Diamondbacks are hot and facing a Marlins team that is approaching absolute zero.
The Marlins are still 0 for June and will be in a four game series this weekend against the D-Backs before heading to Philly to take on the first place Phillies.
Needless to say, the Marlins better get their act together or they're going to be approaching the Nationals for having the worst record in the NL East.
Josh Johnson is still on the shelf, and every day that goes by without any word from the Fish about his condition, leads me to believe he is battling a serious injury and may be shut down for the entire regular season or at least most of it.
If his injury is bad enough, they'll shut him down to save him for next year when they want him to pitch opening day at the new Marlins ballpark.

NFL Update:
Despite what you may have heard from the Eagle-Tribune in North Andover Massachusetts, the lockout is not over.
The NFL and NFLPA* said the lockout is not "over till it's over," channeling their best Yogi Berra there.
I think what is positive is that the two sides continue talking and continue to get together without the lawyers to work out a deal. Plus, they're issuing joint denials, but with a sense of humor instead of hatred. And, the leaders are having "jovial dinners" together.
It's a lot better from both sides than the entire month of May when they were colder than LeBron in a fourth quarter!
If you really want to know, I think a deal can be reached by July 4 and at the latest, July 15.
I think as long as the two sides are negotiating, the appeals court will be happy to sit back and not issue a ruling anytime soon. And that could be the saving grace to having a full NFL season and enjoy a little free agency as well.