During the 2005-06 NBA season, the Miami Heat were a force to be reckoned with, as they were headlined by a slimmed-down Shaquille O’Neal playing at an MVP level and a rising star in the form of Dwyane Wade, who was taking the league by storm.
Ultimately, the Heat paved their way to the NBA Finals, where they faced a very talented Dallas Mavericks team led by Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas had won 60 games during the regular season and looked like a team that might be able to claim its first NBA title if it could contain O’Neal and Wade in the Finals.
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Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban watches in disgust as his team loses to the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals.© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The series ultimately went six games, featuring some controversial moments and questionable calls, which led then-team owner Mark Cuban to believe it was rigged in Miami’s favor.
“We hurt in 2006 after it was stolen from us, right?” Cuban said on the DLLS Mavs podcast. “And I’ll take that to my grave that it was stolen from us.”
It comes as no surprise that Wade would take issue with Cuban’s stance on what happened in the 2006 Finals. The three-time NBA champion took to his Wy Network podcast to fire back at the former Mavericks team owner.
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Mavs Get Last Laugh vs. Heat in 2011
Cuban and the Mavericks got their revenge on Wade and the Heat five years later, as the two teams met in the NBA Finals in 2011, resulting in Nowitzki and his squad coming out on top in six games.
In fact, Cuban couldn’t have gotten the last laugh in a better way, with the Heat assembling a super team led by LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Wade that couldn’t contend with the veteran Mavericks squad.
The Heat were all anyone could talk about during the 2010-11 NBA season, with many anticipating the dynamic trio in Miami winning its first title while building a dynasty. Although Miami went on to win two straight titles in 2012 and 2013, the success was short-lived, as James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers after the 2013-14 season with the Heat.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.