Miami Heat

After defeating the Detroit Pistons, the Heat advanced to their first NBA Finals in franchise history against the Dallas Mavericks. For the Mavericks, like the Heat, this was also their first NBA Finals appearance.

The Heat were outplayed by the Mavericks in the first two games in Dallas, with the second game being an embarrassing blowout. Things looked worse in Game 3 when the Heat faced a 13-point gap in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter, with Dallas looking to take a commanding 3â€"0 lead in the series. Lead by Dwyane Wade, however, the Heat began an incredible run in the fourth quarter that gave the Miami Heat their first win in the series. Similar success came in Game 4, when the Miami Heat once again beat the Mavericks with a combined team effort. The Miami Heat were able to establish their ability to play under pressure in Game 5, which went into overtime. Nevertheless, the heroic effort of Wade with his 43 points, including the game tying basket and clutch overtime free throws, propelled the Heat to within one victory of their first championship in franchise history. Interestingly, the third consecutive victory at home placed the Heat in the rare company of teams who have won the middle three games since the NBA switched to the 2â€"3â€"2 format for the finals in 1986. The only team to have previously accomplished that feat were the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals.

On June 20, Game 6, the Heat took the NBA title in Dallas, winning the series four games to two. In winning the series, the Heat became only the third team in NBA history to win the final series after being down 0â€"2, following the 1969 Boston Celtics and the 1977 Portland Trailblazers. The Heat overcame a miserable start with a 14-point gap to wear down the Mavericks, and lead by one point (49â€"48) at the half-time buzzer. Again, Wade played a vital role, powering the Heat to a late lead. He was helped by an impressive five blocks by Alonzo Mourning (the Heat had over 10 team blocks in the game even though they were averaging a little over 2 blocks in the series) and clutch shooting by James Posey, who drained a crucial three which put the Heat ahead by six with 3 minutes to go. Surprisingly, the Mavericks were down only three with a few seconds to go after a pair of missed free-throws by Dwyane Wade. However, Dallas would be put to rest after Wade captured the rebound, fittingly ending the game with the ball in his hands after a missed three-point shot attempt by Jason Terry. Wade would go on to win the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.

The championship proved all the more poignant for Miami's veteran superstars Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, and Antoine Walker who had never before won an NBA championship. Mourning already announced he will seek another title in the 2006-07 season, and Payton said he would like to do the same.

The championship marks the seventh win for Coach Pat Riley (fifth as a head coach), and fourth title to Shaquille O'Neal, who fulfilled his promise to the citizens of Miami when he vowed in July 2004, to "Bring the title home." He also promised after the win to win the NBA championship again in 2007.

Trivia

*Day to remember: 1st NBA Championship
*Harold Miner won the Slam Dunk contest twice (1993 and 1995) as a member of the Heat.
*Dwyane Wade's jersey is the best-selling for 2005â€"2006 season. [1] [2]
* For seven games in the 2005â€"06 season, the Heat wore 1971â€"1972 Floridians jerseys as part of the NBA's Hardwood Classics series. Additionally, the Heat dance team also wore the Floridian bikinis and white go-go boots during these games. [3]
*During the 2004â€"2005 season, the Heat's roster contained the first three players selected in the 1992 NBA Draft:
**Shaquille O'Neal (1st overall selection of the Orlando Magic)
**Alonzo Mourning (2nd overall selection of the Charlotte Hornets)
**Christian Laettner (3rd overall selection of the Minnesota Timberwolves)
*Further, at various points over the 14 years since the 1992 NBA Draft, Miami has had 9 out of the first 12 players selected in that draft on their roster: O'Neal (2004â€"), Mourning (1995â€"2003, 2005â€"), Laettner (2004â€"05) Jim Jackson (2001â€"02), LaPhonso Ellis (2001â€"03), Walt Williams (1996), Todd Day (1997â€"98), Clarence Weatherspoon (1998â€"2000) and Harold Miner (1992â€"95). During the 2004â€"2005 season, the Heat were the first NBA team to have the number one, two and three top picks from same draft (1992) on the same team. (O'Neal, Mourning, Laettner)
*Four players (three current players and a former player, Tim Hardaway) from the Miami Heat have appeared on the cover of NBA Live, Shaquille O'Neal in 1996; Tim Hardaway in 1998; Antoine Walker in 1999; and Dwyane Wade in 2006.
*The Heat retired Michael Jordan's number 23 jersey for his contributions to the NBA, even though he never played for them. When first hung, it was half Wizard blue and half Bull red, however it is now an all red Chicago Bulls jersey.
*In the year 2006, not only did the Heat win the NBA Championship, but the organization's cheerleading/dance team, the Heat Dancers, were the #1 dance team in the NBA as voted by the NBA fans, and one of the Heat Dancers (Layla El) is currently competing in the WWE Diva Search.
*The 2005/2006 Basketball season was an especially successful one for the State of Florida, as both the NBA Champions and the NCAA Champions hailed from the same state. The Florida Gators won the NCAA tourney over the UCLA Bruins several months before the Heat won their title.

Season-by-season records