The 2006 NBA Finals were the championship series of the 2005-06 NBA season, as well as the end of the playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks was favoured to defeat the Miami Heat in the NBA finals. Despite these odds, the Heat defeated the Mavericks in six games, and became the third team (after the 1969 Celtics, 1977 Trail Blazers, and later the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2021 Milwaukee Bucks) to win a championship after dangling 0-2 in the series. Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat was designated the series’ Most Valuable Player.
This was the inaugural time in the Finals since 1971 that two teams were competing in their first NBA Finals series. It was the first time since 1978 that the NBA Finals featured two teams who had never won a title. Five years later, in 2011, the two teams met again in the NBA Finals for the second time, with the Mavericks defeating the Heat.
This was the 2nd NBA Finals meeting between teams from Florida and Texas, following the 1995 NBA Finals between the Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic. This was the last Finals loss by a Texas team (the Rockets lost in 1981 and 1986) against eight championship games till the Miami Heat conquered the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals (five by the Spurs, two by the Rockets, and one by the Mavericks, who won a rematch of this Finals in 2011). This was the only NBA Finals without the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs in the 2000s.
2006 NBA Finals – Dallas vs. Miami
The 2006 NBA Finals followed a series with the second-lowest ratings in NBA Finals history. Following a seven-game series between the Detroit Pistons and the small-market San Antonio Spurs, the 2006 Finals was regarded more appealing because it spotlighted the significantly larger markets Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, as well as superstars Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O’Neal, and Dwyane Wade.
Even with series tied at two games apiece, Game 5 proved decisive. Wade received an entry pass from midcourt on the final play of overtime. Some argue that because Wade was already in the front court prior to the inbounds pass, he ought to have been suspended indefinitely to receive the pass in the backcourt and the Heat should have been called for a backcourt contravention. Wade drove to the basket after receiving the ball, drawing a foul on Nowitzki. Replays would show that Nowitzki barely touched Wade, infuriating Mavericks fans even more.
The replay, however, had shown Mavericks guard Devin Harris trying to grab Wade’s arm. In the time between Wade’s free throws, Maverick Josh Howard asked coach Avery Johnson if he wanted to call timeout. Referee Joe Derosa saw Howard make a timeout hand signal towards his coach and charged Dallas with their final timeout.
After Wade’s second free throw, the Mavericks were compelled to inbound from full court without the need for a timeout. The Mavericks lost the game and the series two nights later after failing to make a shot from inside half court as time expired. In Game 5, the Mavericks were called for 38 fouls, while the Heat were called for only 26. The Mavericks attempted 25 free throws while the Heat attempted 49.
Despite his denial, Cuban was penalised $250,000 by the league for general “acts of misconduct” trying to follow the game, not for his accusation remarks. Wade shot 25 free throws in Game 5, matching the total of the Mavericks. In Game 6, suspicions were raised even higher when the Heat were granted 37 free throws to the Mavericks’ 23. Wade shot 21 free throws, nearly matching the Mavericks’ team total, including those from a foul called after colliding with Nowitzki, who was in Wade’s way during the final 10 seconds of play, costing the Mavericks the game and allowing the Heat to win their first championship.
Following the conclusion of the season, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reportedly recruited a former FBI agent to conduct an investigation into the series. He allegedly dropped the investigation because he was afraid of being forbidden from the league for life.
“Get more sports news, cricket news, and football updates, log on to sportsdigest.in. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.”
