Almost two decades ago, the Dallas Mavericks faced the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, a series that still haunts Mark Cuban. The Heat secured a pivotal 101-100 victory in Game 5, a result decided by two free throws from Dwyane Wade. The Mavericks led 100-99 with just 1.9 seconds remaining when officials called a foul on Dirk Nowitzki, sending Wade to the line to seal the game.
While the basketball world has long since moved on, Cuban, the team’s minority owner and former majority stakeholder, hasn’t forgotten.
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Why Is Mark Cuban Still Fuming About the 2006 NBA Finals?
Immediately following the loss, Cuban vocalized his frustrations regarding the officiating. The American businessman characterized the game as “rigged,” pointing to the disparity in free-throw attempts as evidence. To put Cuban’s anger in perspective, Wade went to the line 25 times in Game 5, equaling the total attempts for the entire Mavericks roster. Furthermore, Wade shot 97 free throws over the six-game series.
While debates over officiating are common in the NBA, Cuban continues to lobby for the 2006 squad, maintaining they would have won if not for alleged favoritism toward Wade and Miami.
In a recent episode of Run Your Race, Cuban recalled the painful memory, as he said: “We should have won. Someone brought it up to me yesterday. And they’re like, ‘Yeah, you think Dwyane Wade beat you?’ I’m like, ‘No, Bennett Salvatore beat us.’ For those who don’t know, he’s a ref. And I stand by that.”
This isn’t the first time Cuban has publicly criticized the outcome of that series. During an appearance on the “DLLS Mavs Podcast” in August, he openly admitted that he feels the championship was taken from them.
“We hurt in 2006 after it was stolen from us, right?” Cuban said. “And I’ll take that to my grave that it was stolen from us.”
How Does Dwyane Wade View the Controversy?
With Cuban continuing to defend his stance nearly 20 years later, Wade has stepped up to protect his team’s achievement. The Heat legend asked Cuban to stop revisiting the topic, confidently dismissing any notion that the series was fixed.
“Mark stop saying that,” Wade said on his own podcast. “Mark, we beat y’all. Did we get some foul calls? Everybody gets foul calls.”
Wade cited other questionable calls to refute claims of ill intent, emphasizing the effort required to win regardless of the whistle. “…It wasn’t rigged. We still had to play the game. You had a young guy who was becoming a star in the NBA. Did I get a few whistles? Yes, but was I the only one attacking the basket every play? Probably so,” Wade continued. He also called out Cuban for diminishing the work he put in as a “young guy,” pleading with him to drop the rigged narrative.
The Mavericks eventually found redemption five years later. Nowitzki delivered an unforgettable performance to defeat Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, securing the franchise’s first title in 2011.