The Games.org

Head Coach:
Avery Johnson

SG 13 Maurice Ager- R


G 11 Jose Juan Barea


SF 1 Greg Buckner


PF 44 Austin Croshere


C 25 Erick Dampier


C 7 DeSagana Diop


SF 40 Devean George


PG 34 Devin Harris


SF 5 Josh Howard


PG 8 Anthony Johnson


C 28 DJ Mbenga


F 21 Pops Mensah-Bonsu


PF 41 Dirk Nowitzki - Captain


G/F 42 Jerry Stackhouse


PG 31 Jason Terry

The Mavericks advanced to their first NBA Finals in franchise history when they defeated the Phoenix Suns in game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on June 3, 2006 in the US Airways Center in Phoenix. They faced the Miami Heat in the finals, held home-court advantage and scored two convincing wins. After game 2 Dallas city officials had already planned the victory parade. However, in Game 3, the Mavs blew a late double-digit lead, courtesy of Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who scored at least 36 points during the next four matches. He carried the Heat to the win, with Nowitzki missing a potentially game-tying free throw in the last seconds.



After getting blown out in Game 4, the Mavericks suffered another heartbreaking loss in Game 5 when Wade scored the game-tying basket in the last possession of regular time, putting the Heat ahead with last-second free throws in overtime. The tragic figure was Josh Howard, who missed a pair of clutch free throws in overtime and mistakenly called an early timeout, so the Mavs had to bring in the ball at backcourt rather than halfcourt for the last possession. In Game 6, the Mavericks took an early double digit lead, but again, Wade poured in 36 points, helped by Alonzo Mourning's five blocked shots, and the Mavericks lost their fourth game and the title after a string of botched three pointers. Poor officiating and phantom calls have been cited as secondary contributors to their loss to the Heat, especially concerning Game 5 [2]. Dirk Nowitzki failed to perform in the fourth quarters of several games, including the crucial Game 6 where he went 0-4 and passed up numerous open shots. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined a total of $250,000 for "several acts of misconduct" during the series, Nowitzki was fined $5,000 for kicking a ball into the stands after Game 5, and Jerry Stackhouse was suspended for Game 5 after fouling Shaquille O'Neal on a breakaway dunk attempt. The latter marked the third time a Mavericks player was suspended in the 2006 playoffs. The Mavericks became only the third team in NBA history (the first since 1977) to lose in the Finals after taking a 2-0 lead. In Game 3, the Mavs held a 13-point lead with under seven minutes remaining but were outscored 22-7 in the momentum-changing 98-96 defeat. The Heat's performance in the last seven minutes represented the team's greatest postseason comeback in team history .