Though Dallas Mavericks reserve center Brendan Haywood was listed as a game-time decision for Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, head coach Rick Carlisle announced an hour before game time that Haywood will not play on Sunday night, reports David Aldridge.
Heat Vs. Mavericks: Brendan Haywood Ruled Out For Game 3
With Haywood out, the Mavericks will need Tyson Chandler to stay out of foul trouble and hope that 24-year-old Ian Mahinmi can step up after receiving limited playing time during the regular season and the playoffs. SB Nation Dallas offers some thoughts on what this means:
He will have to keep from getting too amped up as he has a tendency to pick up quick fouls. Which puts a ton of pressure on Chandler to stay out of foul trouble. If Chandler is not able to stay out of foul trouble, the Mavericks will have to go small and that has proved to be disastrous against the Heat through two games.
Tip-off is scheduled for shortly after 8 p.m. ET. Tune into ABC to see how the Mavericks respond.
For live coverage of Game 3, stay up-to-date with this StoryStream. To see the up-to-the-minute score, along with information from around SB Nation on the game, keep your browser on this Heat-Mavs score page. Throughout the NBA Finals, check out our 2011 NBA Finals hub for more coverage. For more on the two teams, Mavericks fans should head over to Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas, while Heat fans should check out Peninsula Is Mightier.
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