The Dallas Mavericks loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals may prove more costly than 1-0 hole the team fell into with a 92-84 loss on Tuesday night. While the Heat are dealing with an unknown injury to Mike Miller, Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki sustained a far worse injury as he tore a tendon in his left middle finger. The injury will force the Mavs' forward to wear a splint throughout the rest of the NBA Finals as he attempts to play through it.
Dirk Nowitzki Injury: Dallas Mavericks Forward Tears Tendon In Middle Finger, Will Wear Splint In NBA Finals
The news came from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, and is certainly not good for the Mavericks.
Dirk Nowitzki just said he tore a tendon in his left middle finger. Will wear a splint for rest of playoffs. Happened when Dirk stripped ball from Chris Bosh. Said he couldn't straighten finger after injury.
This is just about the worst case scenario for Dallas, who needs Nowitzki to be at his best to hang with the Heat. In Game 1, Miami turned the jets on in the fourth quarter and pulled away for an eight-point win, 92-84. And while dropping Game 1 by no means puts the Mavericks in a hole the can’t claw out of, having Nowitzki at anything less than 100 percent for the most important games of the season is a significant blow to Dallas’ chances.
We’ll be back with more on Nowitzki’s injury as information becomes available. For more on the Mavericks, head over to SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball or SB Nation Dallas.
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