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 overtime 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. 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 after a timeout, made the second to give his team a one-point lead. Devin Harris missed a half-court shot as time expired. Wade finished with 43 points, 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. Jason Terry led Dallas with 35 points, while Josh Howard added 25. After the game, 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.

In Their Own Story

The air inside American Airlines Arena hung heavy, thick with the suffocating weight of an impending elimination. Every Dallas bucket was met by a collective groan; every Miami miss plunged the crowd into a silence so profound it felt physical. Then, Dwyane Wade ignited the fuse. He carved through the Mavericks' defense like a shark in a feeding frenzy, driving until the referees' whistles became the arena's only heartbeat. As the clock ticked toward zero with Miami clinging to a razor-thin lead, the eruption from the stands wasn't just celebration—it was a resurrection. The Heat had survived the brink.

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.
• Wade set an NBA Finals record for most made free throws in a game with 21.
• Dirk Nowitzki kicked a ball into the stands after the game, resulting in a $5,000 fine.
• Mark Cuban was fined $250,000 for acts of misconduct after Game 5.