Some might call it dark. Miami Heat fans could call it the sixth man advantage.
As the Heat do battle with the Dallas Mavericks in an even series in the NBA Finals, some Heat fans are using voodoo dolls to give the home team a little edge.
But instead of using voodoo dolls on Dallas, fans are trying to enhance Miami players with the mystical powers.
At El Viejo Lazaro in Miami, Heat-themed voodoo dolls are flying off the shelf. Employee Yaneccy Fuentes said they cost between $4 and $10. They don't look like the voodoo dolls you see in movies.
Instead of a likeness, the dolls look like preschool creations stuffed with cotton. They only come in white or black and they are all the same size.
So there's no miniature 7-foot tall German doll or a tiny J.J. Barea voodoo replica, although that one would be more life-sized.
In order for the voodoo doll to be effective, the user must have the name of the player attached to the doll, which is filled with herbs, sticks and a special powder, Fuentes explained.
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The goal is to bring good fortune to a Heat player as opposed to inflicting bad karma on the Mavericks.
The basketball gods might consider that bad juju.
So don't blame voodoo doll carrying Heat fans for Dirk Nowitzki's high fever in Game 4, not that it helped the Heat much because they lost.
But you can't say Miami fans aren't pulling out all the stops to help bring a second NBA title to South Beach.
Maybea good ritual is just what the witch doctor ordered for LeBron James' poor play in the Finals.
