2006 NBA Finals Game 5 vs Dallas Mavericks

Lore & Background

Dwyane Wade shot 25 free throws—as many as all the Mavericks combined—leading the Heat to their third straight win. With 9.1 seconds left in the game and the Heat trailing by 1 point, they inbounded the ball to Wade, who caught the ball in the air and then landed in the backcourt. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban felt Wade had therefore committed a backcourt violation after receiving the ball. Dallas was then penalized with a controversial foul call that sent Wade to the line to shoot the go-ahead free throws with 1.9 seconds left.

Wade hit the first free throw, and Dallas coach Avery Johnson signaled to his team to call a timeout after Wade's second attempt. Josh Howard then made a timeout gesture with his hands and began to walk off the floor, and the referees called the Mavericks' last remaining timeout, which prevented them from advancing the ball after the second attempt if Wade converted. After the timeout, Wade made the second free throw to give his team a one-point lead, after which Devin Harris missed a half-court shot as time expired.

Wade finished the game with 43 points while setting an NBA Finals record for most made free throws in a game with 21. Shaquille O'Neal had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Miami converted 32 of its 49 attempts from the free-throw line. Jason Terry led Dallas with 35 points, while Howard added 25.

After the game, a frustrated Dirk Nowitzki kicked a ball into the stands and Cuban caused many 'acts of misconduct' resulting in fines of $5,000 and $250,000, respectively.

Reader's Guide

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. They 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.

Did You Know?

• Dwyane Wade shot 25 free throws in Game 5, as many as all the Mavericks combined.
• The Heat became the second team since 1985 to sweep the middle three games at home, the 2004 Detroit Pistons being the first.