"This injury thing is new for Dirk Nowitzki, the mangled middle finger on his left hand putting these NBA Finals in jeopardy for the Dallas Mavericks.

By contrast, for Miami Heat forward Mike Miller, talking about an injury has become as common as lofting 3-pointers in practice.

The latest issue is a left shoulder hidden under a sleeve for Tuesday's series-opening 92-84 win over the Mavericks, the shoulder protected by a sling as he exited AmericanAirlines Arena late Tuesday night.

The issue, the Heat insist, is a non-issue.

"Old age, I'm fine," Miller said after Wednesday's practice, one completed without the protective sleeve, at least for the portion of practice witnessed by the media. During that, session, Miller made little to no use of his left arm.

"Actually, it's fine," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said as he looked ahead to Thursday night's Game 2 of the best-of-seven series. "He'll be able to play. There won't be anything stopping him from playing."

Miller's final attempts of Wednesday's practice came with his left arm to his side."