Dirk Nowitzki had a splint guarding the torn tendon in the middle finger of his non-shooting hand at Thursday’s shootaround, but that’s not the bandage he’ll be using tonight as his Mavericks aim to tie their NBA Finals series with the HEAT at a game apiece.

“I’m going to try something this morning, try something tonight for warm-ups,” he told reporters. “I’ll be okay. The main thing is I want to still feel the ball in that hand so I don’t want to put too much tape over it.

“We’ll find something to protect it from the back and still be able to feel the ball,” he continued.

Nowitzki said he’s already tried “one or two” types of bandages already, but reiterated that he needs to feel the ball against the skin of his left hand because, “I like to go left, I like to finish with my left hand.”

Most people think of Nowitzki as a shooter, but that aspect of his game should be remain unaffected by the injury, while the other facets of Nowitzki—his rebounding and defense—may suffer.

“I don’t think it’s going to be much of a factor, especially not on the shots. The left hand basically is just holding the ball. It’s going to be more the all around game, the rebounds, the slapping for the ball, reaching in, stuff like that. I’ll be okay I’m not really that worried about it.

“Especially because this is the NBA Finals, so once the adrenaline starts flowing, everything is just going out the window,” he continued. “At this part of the season, everybody has bumps and bruises so this is just a bump and I’m playing through it… I’m going to lay it all out there, so I don’t think the other team is worried about my finger.”

While the media focuses on Nowitzki’s finger, the seven-footer is more concerned with pace with which Dallas played Game 1. Nowitzki wants to see his team push the tempo in Game 2, and that starts with rebounding on the defensive end of the floor.

“That’s a big hole to overcome,” Nowitzki said of the possibility of being down 2-0 if Miami wins tonight. “So, nothing is impossible, but we’d love to go home with this series 1-1. We got to go for it. We’ve got to compete a little harder. Rebound better—I think that’s a big key. You can’t give an explosive offensive team you know, so many shots at the basket. You’ve got to let them get only one shot, rebound the ball and then hopefully speed the game up some, get the ball in [Jason] J-Kidd’s hands and play more of our game.”

And by “our game” Nowitzki means changing the pace. Only 176 points were scored in Dallas Game 1 loss, which means Miami was playing at its preferred tempo (the HEAT ranked 21st in the NBA in possessions per game).

“Well they’re very good in halfcourt defense,” Nowitzki said. “That’s why they’re in the NBA Finals.

“They play with their length,” he continued. “They’re very athletic on the perimeter. They can cover a lot of ground. They flood the strong side on occasion. They’re very good defensively so we’d love to get a little more transition baskets, easy looks.”

Game 2 tips off at 9 p.m. EST.

Lakers Will Retire Shaq’s No. 34

The Lakers haven’t hit Celtics territory when it comes to retiring numbers (Boston has retired nearly every “normal” number and No. 18 is retired twice), but No. 34 won’t be an option for any of Los Angeles’ future players.

“We don’t have any specific timetable on this, but you can be assured we will retire Shaq’s Jersey,” Lakers spokesman John Black wrote to ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin in an email.

O’Neal, who played for the Celtics in 2010-2011, announced his intentions to retire earlier this week, and it appears the Lakers—the team for which Shaq won three titles—will be the first to honor him publically.

Los Angeles has retired seven numbers to date (all Hall of Famers), but the franchise may not wait five years for Shaq to get inducted in Springfield.

“We don’t have a specific policy on it,” Black added. “As you know, players have to wait five years to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but we could possibly do a jersey retirement ceremony for Shaq prior to that.”

In the history of NBA free agency, it’s hard to find a better deal than the one the Lakers gave O’Neal back in 1996 (seven years, $121 million). Shaq rewarded Dr. Jerry Buss with three titles in eight phenomenal seasons.

Of course, O’Neal will also be missed as a personality, which is the aspect of his life Nowitzki commented on during Thursday’s shootaround.

“We’re gonna miss him,” Nowitzki said. “He’s, you know, one of the all-time greats. Not only on the court, but off the floor… He’s one of the funniest characters this league has ever seen. He’s going to be missed.

“He always had something funny to say,” Nowitzki continued. “Always made you smile, made you laugh.”

Is Jon Leuer Physical Enough for the NBA?

Jon Leuer stands 6-11, but at only 223 pounds, many are wondering if the sweet-shooting Badger big man has enough strength to play in the NBA.

At Thursday’s draft workout in New Jersey, he feels he answered some of those questions.

“I thought I did well,” he told reporters. “I was able to hold my own. Like I said, play physical, get rebounds, make some post moves, hold my ground defensively, just stuff that I needed to show these guys that I’m able to do in the league playing against guys that are fours and fives.

“It went really well,” he added. “Every guy competed. I felt like I was able to show some things I can do, such as shooting the ball, just competing, offensive rebounding, just getting after it. Just playing physical. Overall, it was a good workout for me.”

A native of Minnesota, Leuer’s knowledge of the Nets comes from another Big 10 alum, Nets power forward Kris Humphries.

“He’s told me a little bit about them. It’s a great organization and it’d be a good chance to play for them.”

Leuer has had “six or seven” workouts up to this point and may only be halfway through, but he says he’s enjoying the entire process—particularly the part about proving people wrong.

“Everything’s been great,” he said of the pre-draft process. “People have told me I’m more athletic than I thought. I can really shoot the ball. Just all good things so far. I’m excited about it and just looking forward to getting out on the court and competing.”

Leuer, who says he models his game “a little” after Dirk Nowitzki, believes his real strength besides his shooting touch (he made 37% of his 3-point attempts as a senior) is the fact that he’s a polished four-year collegiate player

“You definitely develop as a player and a person,” he said. “You go through some ups and downs in college. As a freshman I had to come in and earn all my minutes. I’ve been through a lot and my maturity as a player and as a person is something, I think, that is valued among people in the NBA.”

{AUTHOR_BOX}More Ratings Records

Game 1 of the NBA Finals earned a 9.0 rating, according to the league, which means it was the highest rated and most-viewed game since the 2004 NBA Finals.

Over 10,475,000 households and 15,171,000 viewers tuned it to see the HEAT beat the Mavericks on Tuesday, and that begs the question, why are we even talking about a lockout?

Howard Shoots Down Another Report

Dwight Howard would make an excellent White House Press Secretary. Just as soon as a report goes up, he’s right there to swat it out of the sky.

The latest one came from WKMG Sports Director David “Ping” Pingalore, who claimed to have a source saying that Howard  was “all but signed” to a two-year contract extension with the Magic. Howard annihilated that report Thursday morning when he spoke at a charity event in Birmingham Ala.

“There’s no truth to that,” he said during the benefit to raise money for victims of April’s tornados, according to  Josh Robbins and Daniel Paulling of The Orlando Sentinel.

“The biggest thing right now is everybody understands I have one more year left,” he continued. “I’m keeping my options open, but there’s no other place I’d rather be than Orlando. I want them to understand that.

“But at the same time, I do want to win, make sure everything is in line—our team, just everything from top to bottom, everybody is reaching for a championship. It can’t be me and a couple of other guys. It’s gotta be the whole team—everybody on the staff. It’s the same goal: the championship attitude. As of right now, I don’t plan to be anywhere else besides Orlando.”

This is going to get old pretty fast if it hasn’t already. The good thing is that Howard has always been pretty public about his feelings and hasn’t shied away from shooting down various reports. Sources are great (we all use them), but nothing beats the horse’s mouth.

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