DALLAS — The Mavericks will take this matchup every time. A one-eyed Chris Bosh gets a single shot to win Game 3, after which Dirk Nowitzki is given two chances to reply. That Miami won 88-86 to take a 2-1 lead in the Finals is why this series has a chance to become one of the best in modern times. Little is predictable, and nothing is without drama.

Bosh had made 15 of 52 field goals in these Finals, and all of them meant less than the 16-footer that came in the final minute Sunday. Never mind that the winner of Game 3 in these situations had gone on to win all 11 NBA Finals under the current 2-3-2 format. Neither Bosh nor LeBron James was thinking about any of the back-story numbers as the shot went up from the left elbow as if Bosh had made a career of enthusiastically mimicking Kobe Bryant.

“I don’t care if he missed 15 in a row, he was wide open and that’s his sweet spot,” James said. “It’s the trust we have in each other’s ability, no matter what point of the game is at.”