Dirk Nowitzki’s finger injury makes Mavs’ task harder vs. LeBron

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Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki tore a tendon in his left middle finger in Game 1 against the Heat. | David J. Phillip~AP

Updated: September 11, 2011 12:22AM

MIAMI — Dirk Nowitzki has a torn tendon in the middle finger of his left hand.

Of course, he does. You think LeBron James is getting injured this postseason? The Miami Heat is on way too big of a roll for that kind of bad break.

James’ immense talent is dominating the playoffs, but his will to win seems to be making the final push toward an NBA championship. With a suffocating defense and an offense that can score when it needs to, the Heat is playing with the confidence of a champion that chokes the life out of its opponents. When you’re down four in the fourth quarter, it seems like 10. And the harder you scrap, the worse it gets.

Nowitzki paid the price in the Dallas Mavericks’ 92-84 loss in Game 1 of the Finals. With the Mavs trailing 77-73 with 3:44 to play, Nowitzki tried to strip Chris Bosh in the lane. He thought he got all ball. Instead, he was called for a foul, Bosh hit two free throws and Nowitzki tore the tendon.

‘‘I was kind of talking to the referee about the play,’’ Nowitzki said, ‘‘and the next thing you know . . . I’m looking down, and my finger was bent. I couldn’t straighten it. It was a freakish play.’’

There were a lot of freakish plays in Game 1, but most of them involved James, who’s coming dangerously close to the magical point of being even better than we thought. It’s amusing, if not ironic, that Nowitzki injured his middle finger because that’s what James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade are giving everybody outside of Miami as they pick up steam toward what is getting closer and closer to an inevitable NBA title. At least when James turned and hit an impossible-to-guard 25-foot three-pointer to beat the third-quarter buzzer, nobody was hurt.

Even if he had to join Wade and Bosh to play this well, it’s hard to deny the extraordinary excellence of James, especially when he uses his unique ability on defense. Just as he helped thwart Derrick Rose, James helped shut down 6-2 shooting guard Jason Terry in Game 1. Terry, whose nickname is ‘‘Jet’’ for a reason, scored 12 points and made 3 of 5 three-pointers in the first half. With James guarding him in the second half, Terry went scoreless — taking only two three-pointers and going 0-for-3 from the field.

‘‘You look at his body — he’s amazing,’’ Nowitzki said. ‘‘He’s 6-8, 260 or whatever, and he moves like a running back. He can guard any position on the floor. That’s what makes him amazing on both ends of the floor. He’s quick, but he’s also strong.’’

That Nowitzki, a sure-fire Hall of Famer, is no James already has been established in this series. The injured finger only makes things more problematic. It’s not his shooting hand. But you still use the left hand to shoot. And Nowitzki often goes to his left and finishes dipsy-doodle drives with his left hand.

Nowitzki had the finger taped for the Mavericks’ practice Wednesday. He might wear a splint in Game 2 tonight.

‘‘I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be bothering me on the shot,’’ said Nowitzki, who scored 27 points on 7-for-18 shooting in Game 1. ‘‘It’s going to be the other stuff — dribbling, passing, catching, swiping down, stuff like that. I’m not really worried. It’s not that sore, so it should be OK.’’

The status of Nowitzki’s finger was a hot topic during the Mavs’ media access Wednesday. After Game 1, the bigger question is whether it will even matter. The Mavericks don’t just need a healthier Nowitzki. They need a better one.