The Dallas Mavericks will be one big man short Thursday when they try to take a 3-2 lead against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
Center Brendan Haywood was ruled out of Game 5 Thursday because of a strained hip flexor, according to ESPN.com This will be the second NBA Finals game that Haywood will miss. He also missed Game 3 and managed to play only a few minutes in Game 4. With Ian Mahinmi being the only other center on the roster for the Mavericks, Tyson Chandler will expect to play extensive minutes Thursday.
"If I need to play 48 [minutes] from here on out, it is what it is," Chandler told ESPN.com. "When you're playing for a championship, you do what it takes."
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said he will monitor Chandler's minutes.
"My job becomes important tonight," Carlisle said. "I've got to keep him fresh. And exactly how we do that is going to depend on the ebb and flow of the game."
