2006 NBA Finals
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| Dates: | June 8 - June 20 | |||||||||
| MVP: | Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) |
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| Television: | ABC (U.S.) | |||||||||
| Announcers: | Mike Breen and Hubie Brown | |||||||||
| Radio network: | NBA on ESPN Radio | |||||||||
| Referees: | ||||||||||
| Game 1: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore | ||||||||||
| Game 2: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush | ||||||||||
| Game 3: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies | ||||||||||
| Game 4: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer | ||||||||||
| Game 5: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore | ||||||||||
| Game 6: Dan Crawford, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush | ||||||||||
| Hall of Famers: | Coaches: Pat Riley (2008) |
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| Eastern Finals: | Miami defeats Detroit, 4–2 | |||||||||
| Western Finals: | Dallas defeats Phoenix, 4–2 | |||||||||
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The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005-06 National Basketball Association season. The Miami Heat won the championship in 6 games over the Dallas Mavericks, winning the final game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and becoming the third team to win a championship after trailing 0–2 in the series. This was Dallas' and Miami's first appearance in the finals. Heat guard Dwyane Wade was named Most Valuable Player of the series. It was also the first Finals to not have either the Los Angeles Lakers or San Antonio Spurs since 1998, and the only one of the 2000s decade.
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[edit] Format
The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. As of yet, the other playoff series are still running on a 2-2-1-1-1 site format.
The best-of-seven series began on June 8, 2006, with the Eastern Conference champion Heat (the second-seeded team in the East) playing the Western Conference champion Mavericks (the fourth-seeded team in the West). Because the Dallas Mavericks had a better regular season win-loss record, they had home court advantage.
The series was somewhat unusual in that it featured two teams who had never been to the NBA Finals before. The last time that had happened was 35 seasons prior, when the Milwaukee Bucks, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, beat the Baltimore Bullets 4–0 in the 1971 NBA Finals.
[edit] Qualifying
- The Miami Heat won the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals over the Detroit Pistons, 4–2.
- The Dallas Mavericks won the 2006 Western Conference Finals over the Phoenix Suns, 4–2.
[edit] Broadcast notes
ABC had exclusive rights to televise the NBA Finals in the United States.[1] Play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and color commentator Hubie Brown called the action, with courtside reporting by Lisa Salters and Stuart Scott. The featured song, aired throughout the playoffs, was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Runnin' Down a Dream."
[edit] Playoff rosters
[edit] Game summaries
[edit] Game One
Dallas' Jason Terry scored a playoff-high 32 points as the Mavericks overcame a 31–23 deficit at the end of the first quarter.
| June 8 9:00pm ET |
1 | Miami Heat 80, Dallas Mavericks 90 | American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,475 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 31-23, 13-23, 24-24, 12-20 | |||||||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 28 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 8 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 |
Pts: Jason Terry 32 Rebs: Josh Howard 12 Asts: Nowitzki, Howard 4 each |
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| Dallas leads series, 1-0. | |||||||
[edit] Game Two
Dirk Nowitzki had a stellar 26 point-16 rebound performance, and the Mavericks cruised past the Heat to take a 2–0 series lead.
| June 11 9:00pm ET |
2 | Miami Heat 85, Dallas Mavericks 99 | American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,459 Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 17-18, 17-32, 24-32, 27-17 | |||||||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 23 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 8 Asts: Payton, Williams 4 each |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 26 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 16 Asts: Jason Terry 9 |
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| Dallas leads series, 2-0. | |||||||
[edit] Game Three
Led by Dwyane Wade's 42 points and 13 rebounds, the Heat rallied from a 13-point deficit with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The momentum-changing comeback was capped by a Gary Payton field goal from just inside the three-point line with 9.3 seconds left. Dirk Nowitzki had a chance to tie the game at the free throw line with 3.4 seconds to go, but missed 1 of 2, sealing the win for Miami.
| June 13 9:00pm ET |
3 | Dallas Mavericks 98, Miami Heat 100 | AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 21-29, 22-23, 34-16, 19-30 | |||||||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30 Rebs: Erick Dampier 9 Asts: Jason Terry 5 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 42 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 13 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 5 |
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| Dallas leads series, 2-1. | |||||||
[edit] Game Four
Dwyane Wade shined again for the Heat with 36 points, and Miami held Dallas to just seven points in the fourth quarter en route to a series-tying, blowout victory. The Mavericks' low-scoring fourth quarter was the lowest ever by any team during the NBA Finals. Jerry Stackhouse caught Shaquille O'Neal with a flagrant foul that resulted in him being suspended for Game 5.
| June 15 9:00pm ET |
4 | Dallas Mavericks 76, Miami Heat 98 | AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 25-30, 19-24, 23-24, 7-20 | |||||||
| Pts: Jason Terry 17 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9 Asts: Jerry Stackhouse 4 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 13 Asts: Jason Williams 6 |
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| Miami ties series, 2-2. | |||||||
[edit] Game Five
Making a strong case for NBA Finals MVP, Dwyane Wade was the star yet again with 43 points, shooting as many free throws as all the Mavericks combined (a fact that did not sit well with head coach Avery Johnson[2]), leading the Heat to their third straight win over Dallas after being down 0–2 in the series. After a controversial play in which Mavericks owner Mark Cuban thought Wade committed a backcourt violation, Wade hit the game-winning free throws with 1.9 seconds left after Dallas was called for a questionable foul, and also made the shot that sent the game into overtime. He set an NBA Finals record for most made free-throws in a game with 21. The NBA, upon further review of the play, deemed that the officials made the correct call, and that there was no backcourt violation committed. Dirk Nowitzki missed 1 of the 2 free throws that could have sent the game to overtime.[3]
After the game, Dirk Nowitzki kicked a ball into the stands and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban caused many "acts of misconduct" resulting in both of them being fined $5,000 and $250,000 respectively.[4]
| June 18 9:00pm ET |
5 | Dallas Mavericks 100, Miami Heat 101 (OT) | OT | AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore |
ABC | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21-24, 30-19, 20-27, 22-23 OT: 7-8 | |||||||
| Pts: Jason Terry 35 Rebs: Josh Howard 10 Asts: Marquis Daniels 4 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 43 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Wade, Williams 4 each |
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| Miami leads series, 3-2. | |||||||
[edit] Game Six
Behind Dwyane Wade's 36 points, Miami edged Dallas to win their first championship in franchise history as Jason Terry missed a critical 3-pointer that would've sent the game to overtime. Averaging 34.7 points per game in the championship series, Wade was named NBA Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player).
| June 20 9:00pm ET |
6 | Miami Heat 95, Dallas Mavericks 92 | American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,522 Referees: Dan Crawford, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 23-30, 26-18, 22-20, 24-24 | |||||||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Jason Williams 7 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 29 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Jason Terry 5 |
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| Miami wins series, 4–2. | |||||||
[edit] Trivia
- The Heat became the second team to win the three middle games in the NBA Finals at home, since the 2-3-2 format was adopted in 1985, joining the 2004 Pistons as the only other home team to do so.
- Miami's win gave Pat Riley his fifth NBA Championship as a coach, his first since 1988, and he claimed he would give all his previous championships back just for this title with the Miami Heat.
- Riley became the only coach to twice replace a coach (succeeding Paul Westhead in 1981, Stan Van Gundy in 2006) in mid-season and take that team to an NBA title.
- Riley had also won one as a player and one as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980, bringing his total to seven championships.
- Shaquille O'Neal became the first (and so far only NBA player) to have won NBA titles playing for both Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, both of them considered among the most successful coaches who've won 15 NBA finals between them.
- Riley was so confident in his team's ability (up 3-2 in the series after having won three straight in Miami) that when asked prior to Game 6 about their would-be plan for Game 7 (both games to be played in Dallas) he told reporters at a press conference that he only packed one suit, one shirt and one tie.
- Further, according to O'Neal and many other Heat players, Riley had told them on the day the Finals started June 8 that they would win the NBA Championship on June 20.
- All games were held stadiums with the naming rights held by American Airlines with the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. Because of this, the series was nicknamed by some as the American Airlines Series and it generated considerable exposure for the airline.
- Both Dallas and Miami were expansion teams in the 1980s; the Mavericks joined the league in 1980, and the Heat joined the league in 1988.
- Miami becomes the third team in NBA history to win the NBA Finals after being down 0-2 in the series. The 1969 Boston Celtics and the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers were the other two. The Celtics won games 3, 4 and 6 at home while winning game 7 in Los Angeles against the Lakers, while the Blazers won against the Philadelphia 76ers in games 3, 4 and 6 at home and in game 5 in Phialdelphia. The Heat are the only one of the three to come back from a 0-2 deficit in the current 2-3-2 format.
- The Heat are the third Miami-based professional sports team to ever win a championship. The Miami Dolphins won Super Bowls VII and VIII, and the Florida Marlins won the 1997 and 2003 World Series. In addition, the University of Miami have also won five National Championships in Division I college football and four NCAA College World Series NCAA Division I baseball titles.
- This was the second NBA Finals in which the two teams came from Florida and Texas. Shaquille O'Neal also played for the Florida-based team in the 1995 NBA Finals; his Orlando Magic were swept by the Houston Rockets that year.
- This was one of only three times that Florida has appeared in the NBA Finals; furthermore, this is the state's only Finals win.
- With the Mavericks' Finals debut, all three Texas teams have made the championship round at least once. The Rockets have four (2 wins, 2 losses), and the San Antonio Spurs have 4 (4 wins).
- The Mavs were the third Texas team in the 2005-06 seasons to make the championship in a major sport joining the Houston Astros and Texas Longhorns football team.
- The Heat's Antoine Walker and Derek Anderson won their second championship as teammates as the two were members of the 1996 National Champion University of Kentucky basketball team. Dallas' Keith Van Horn and Miami's Michael Doleac were also teammates at the University of Utah and from 1996 through '97, Kentucky defeated Utah in the 1998 NCAA Championship Game.
- Both teams won their Conference Finals by the very same total that the Heat won the NBA Championship series, 4-2.
- Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning became the second duo of former NBA Defensive Players of the Year to win an NBA championship together. (Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman won three as members of the Chicago Bulls between 1996 and 1998).
- This was the first time in 35 years that both teams involved were making their inugural NBA Finals appearance. The last time that had happened was when the Milwaukee Bucks, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, beat the Baltimore Bullets 4–0 in the 1971 NBA Finals.
- The Heat were the first Eastern Conference team in 20 years to win an NBA Finals that was not either the Bulls or the Pistons. The last such team to win was the 1986 Boston Celtics.
- Ironically, the next such team to win would be the 2008 Boston Celtics.
- The 2006 NBA Finals has been the only NBA Finals in the (20)00's not to feature either the San Antonio Spurs or Los Angeles Lakers.
- Since the 2-3-2 NBA Finals format started in 1985, Shaquille O'Neal has been on a team that has won the 3 middle games in the NBA Finals in a row on the road (2001 L.A. Lakers), lose the 3 middle games in a row on the road, (2004 L.A. Lakers) and win the 3 middle games in a row at home (2006 Miami).
- Both teams would go on to be ousted in the first round the following year in historically embarrassing fashion.
- The Heat would take a four-game sweep in the first round by the Chicago Bulls, marking the first four-game sweep loss taken in Miami Heat franchise history and in the history of defending NBA Champions in playoff first rounds.
- The Mavericks would be upset in six games by the 8th place Golden State Warriors, whose regular season record was 25 games inferior to their 67-15, in one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ nba.com, NBA Announces 2005-06 Game And Television Schedule, accessed May 5, 2007.
- ^ Wade’s Heroics Have Heat One Win From Title
- ^ usatoday.com, No backcourt violation on winning possession, NBA says, accessed May 5, 2007.
- ^ espn.com, Cuban fined $250K for actions after Game 5, accessed May 5, 2007.
[edit] External links
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