When Udonis Haslem left the court for good on Sunday night, hunched over and clutching his aching left shoulder, things could not have been much worse for the Miami Heat.

Down 15 points to the Mavericks in game two of the NBA Finals, Miami appeared old and overmatched for the second consecutive game. The potential loss of their best defender, and one of only two contributing players younger than 29, compounded the frustration radiating from the aging Miami bench.

But after several days of speculation Haslem returned last night, turning in his best effort of the series thus far and helping  Miami secure a dramatic game three victory. Willis Reed he certainly wasn't, but on a night when Dwyane Wade's brilliant 42-point showing generated the sexy sporting headlines, it was the quiet effort of a hobbled Haslem that personified Miami's performance.

Haslem, the Florida native who spent his formative years rooting for the Heat, played 34 minutes in game three, roughly five minutes above his postseason average. He managed to pull down eight impressive offensive rebounds, 11 total boards, and added eight points and three steals, including a vital theft of Dallas point guard Jason Terry in a one point game with just over a minute remaining.

Udonis is known around the league as a hustle player. Undrafted out of college, he has relied on a solid work ethic and relentless energy to make a name for himself in the NBA. But his effort was more driven than usual last night, more desperate. Every couple of minutes he could be found flinging his body around the court, diving for any loose ball within his reach, ignoring the grimace-inducing pain shooting through his shoulder each time he hit the floor.

It was the kind of commitment that Pat Riley desperately needed from his Heat players, who, in his own words, played most of the game as though they were "stuck in mud." Luckily for Riley, Haslem's effort, combined with Dwyane Wade's unflinching will to win, were enough to get the Heat a season-salvaging result.

Not bad for a player who couldn't lift his left arm above his head without intense pain.

Haslem's contributions to the Heat's cause on Tuesday went well beyond mere inspiration, though. While his energy certainly provided his teammates and the Fruit of the Loom white sea of fans in American Airlines Arena with a huge emotional lift, it was his defending of Dirk Nowitzki in the game's crucial moments that had as much to do with the Heat's win as  Dwyane Wade's offensive explosion.

In game two of the series, which saw Haslem sit out virtually the entire second half, Nowitzki shot eight of ten from the field on his way to a 26-point, 16-rebound night. Tuesday, with an active Haslem pestering the gangly German for most of his 34 minutes on the floor, Nowitzki needed twice as many shots to get 30 points, while shooting less than 50 percent from the field, and gathering just seven rebounds for the entire contest.

Coach Riley must have believed that despite his physical limitations Haslem would provide the Heat with an invaluable spark at the end of the game. With his team trailing by their largest margin of the evening, twelve points, and with just eight-and-a-half minutes remaining, Riley sent Haslem, along with Shaquille O'Neal and Jason Williams, back into the game after an unusually short rest. It was a desperate ploy aimed at reversing a Dallas run that was threatening to put the game, and the series, well beyond Miami's reach.

While Shaq and Williams were virtually invisible during the game's dying moments, over the last eight-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter Haslem managed to stifle Nowitzki. While Miami whittled away at the Dallas lead, Nowitzki was limited to five points on only one field goal, turning the ball over twice and unable to grab a single rebound after Haslem returned to the floor.

If that alone wasn't impressive enough, Haslem coolly dropped two free throws with just over a minute remaining to put the Heat ahead 94-93, and erase what would prove to be Dallas' final lead of the evening. With all the fuss surrounding Shaq's two made free-throws with 1:47 left in the fourth, Haslem's vital shots with a bum shoulder almost a minute later seem every bit as important in retrospect.

It's the type of contribution that doesn't typically translate in a box score or a four-minute Sportscenter highlight, but  makes an indelible impression on players and coaches in both locker rooms.

The question now is: What impact will Haslem's performance have on his teammates?

In a game the Heat absolutely had to win, Haslem did everything possible to keep the series going, playing harder than any Miami player not named Dwyane, until the rest of his teammates finally decided to match him sometime around the middle of the fourth quarter. Despite their rousing win last night, the Heat players should be doing some soul searching today. What does it mean to a team when a 26-year-old player with just three years of NBA experience and a damaged shoulder out-works virtually every player they put on the floor?

That's a question that players like Jason Williams and Antoine Walker should be asking themselves today. The energy and dedication of Udonis Haslem should be an infectious influence in the Heat locker room. If the Heat don't embrace the Haslem attitude for 48 minutes over the course of the remaining games of this series, and decide to wait until the midway through the fourth quarter to play with desperate intensity, they don't deserve an NBA Championship, and that beautiful golden trophy will almost certainly retain residence in the Lone Star State for another year.