2006 NBA Finals MVP (Dwyane Wade)

Lore & Background

The Heat became the third team—after the 1969 Celtics, the 1977 Trail Blazers and later the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2021 Milwaukee Bucks—to win a championship after trailing 0–2 in the series. Dwyane Wade averaged 34.7 points per game in the series and was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

In Their Own Story

The air in American Airlines Arena was thick with tension after Game 2, the weight of a potential sweep hanging heavy over the city. But inside the locker room before Game 3, Dwyane Wade stood tall, his eyes burning with a fire that had nothing to do with the heat of the Florida summer. He didn't speak much; he just pointed at the floor, then at his teammates, and finally at the championship trophy in his mind's eye. When the tip-off came for Game 3, the Flash was no longer just a guard; he was an unstoppable force of nature. Every drive to the basket seemed to defy physics, every foul call earned with sheer determination. As the clock wound down in Game 6, the roar of the crowd became a deafening crescendo, and Wade knew that history had finally been written.

Reader's Guide

In Game 4, Wade had 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists (not a triple-double). The Heat never faced a 0–3 deficit; they won the series in six games.

Did You Know?

• The Heat overcame a two-games-to-none series deficit to defeat the Mavericks in six games, winning their first NBA championship in franchise history.
• Dwyane Wade shot 25 free throws in Game 5—as many as all the Mavericks combined.
• This was the only Finals of the 2000s not to involve the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs.