Nearly two decades have passed since the 2006 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat concluded with the latter winning their first championship after defeating the former in six hard-fought games.
The wounds from that contentious showdown were recently reopened when Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reignited the controversy. He emphatically claimed the 2006 Finals were rigged, citing the disproportionate number of free throws awarded to Heat superstar Dwyane Wade — a staggering 97 in the series, with 73 occurring in the final four games, all of which resulted in Miami victories.
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One player who earned the right to have an opinion regarding that series is Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki. The German superstar led the Mavs in that series with stellar averages of 22.8 points and 10.8 rebounds.
However, instead of fueling the controversy that Cuban had lit, the German superstar chose to temper it, revealing that he felt they had more than enough chances to win the title that year. In addition, he also commented that had he been more mature and savvier, especially in crunch time, the series could have turned out differently.
Inexperience did the Mavs in
Despite Dirk’s incredible performance that season, he believed both his game and himself still had plenty of room to grow. The same was true for the Mavericks. While Dirk was already 27, the team’s other All-Star, Josh Howard, was only 25.
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The lack of experience was glaring in that series, especially since the Heat had numerous playoff veterans on their roster, led by Shaquille O’Neal, Antoine Walker, Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton.
“You know, honestly, a lot has been talked about there, and I’m going to kind of leave that stuff in the past,” Dirk shared on the “DLLS Mavs Podcast.” “We made some mistakes. I think we were inexperienced at times. We were up 2–0 and had a huge lead in Game 3. Didn’t pull it through.”
Dirk was spot on in his assessment, especially about Game 3, which proved to be the series’ turning point. The Mavs had everything going for them at that point, as they erected an 89-76 lead with a little over six minutes remaining in the game. In fact, the crowd inside the American Airlines Arena was so muted that one could hear a pin drop.
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However, Wade, refusing to concede, single-handedly pulled the Heat back into contention. Ultimately, it was Payton who sealed their 98-96 victory with a go-ahead basket, sinking a 21-foot jumper with only 9.3 seconds remaining. It was a crushing blow for the Mavs, who had been so close to taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. Wade finished that game with 42 points and 13 rebounds.
Dirk didn’t have the killer instinct just yet
Dirk could have easily gotten on the train that Mark was driving and pinned the blame on the referees for practically escorting Dwyane to the charity stripe every time he drove into the lane. But Dirk refused to take that route, instead pointing the finger at himself for not having that killer instinct to close out the game.
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“Honestly, I think it was on our hands. I wasn’t the finisher and closer that I was a few years later, and I missed a big free throw in Game 3, as I remember,” Dirk said, referring to his missed free throw that could have tied the game at 97-all with 3.4 seconds left on the clock.
“It’s just too easy to make excuses now. I feel like we had enough chances. If you’re up 2–0, you should be able to close the series out,” he added. “So, I’m going to leave the past in the past.”
Dirk and the Mavs eventually redeemed themselves in 2011 by defeating a loaded Heat squad that not only had Wade but also superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh. A much savvier player by then, Nowitzki had numerous clutch plays in that series, including the game-winning layup in Game 2.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.