Made In Wade

Let’s go Heat! Let’s go Heat!  Three words that bring excitement and joy to the hearts of Miami Heat fans and three words that cause heartache and dejection for the entire state of Texas.  The Miami Heat, yes the same Heat that once started Harold Minor, are the 2005-06 NBA world champions.  After a year of battling doubt, skepticism, and adversity the Miami Heat got the last laugh by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4 – 2 to win their first championship in franchise history.Game 1 & 2: Two for Blue

June 8th, 2006, was the date set for the battle to end all battles.  The NBA Finals were set to tip off in Dallas, Texas in the American Airlines Center.  Coming into the this epic clash were two NBA Finals rookies, the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat and the Western Conference victors Dallas Mavericks.  

Game one was all that it was hyped up to be.  Dallas came into this series with much momentum and brimming with confidence.  Miami came into the Finals looking to prove that they can beat Dallas for the first time all year.  Dallas started game one showing why they were a 60 game winning team.  The Mavs came out looking to speed up the tempo and run past the Miami Heat but that didn’t pan out the way they thought it would.  Dallas could not overwhelm Miami with their fast offense; it was their newly implemented zone defense that stymied the Miami scoring attack.  Though Dallas threw a new defense at the Heat, they could not completely shut down the man they call “Flash.”  Dwyane Wade tried to carry his team to a game victory with his 28 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.  But his lack of support from the Miami bench and role players led to their demise.  Dallas’ offense looked stagnant as well until they were rescued by fiery guard Jason Terry.  The “Jet” as he is called, poured in 32 points on 13 for 18 shooting and led the Mavericks past Miami 90 – 80 and took a 1 – 0 series lead.

Game two was a complete demolition of the Miami Heat.  The Dallas Mavericks totally pounded the Heat in a 99 – 85 blowout.  But the most abundant and alarming statistic of this game were the mere 5 points of Shaquille O’Neal.  After playing in a total of 194 postseason games, this was the “Diesel’s” lowest output ever.  Dallas’ depth was among the major talk before this series started.  They definitely put on a show during game two by contributing 41 points compared to the pitiful 25 points from the Miami bench players.  With the young and exuberant Dallas Mavericks up 2 – 0 headed back to Miami, many fans and experts were starting to dust off their brooms.

Game 3, 4, & 5: “There’s No Place like Home…”

Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz made a very profound statement when she uttered those five words.  The Heat flew back to Miami down 0 – 2 but they still had a calm and unshaken look in their eye.  Miami’s fans, looking to add to their home court advantage, came to the American Airlines Arena decked out in their “white hot” promotional gear.  Under the white lights and amongst the hottest celebrities, game three was finally tipped off.  This one looked like more Dallas Maverick supremacy all throughout the first three quarters.  The fourth quarter started with the Mavs leading 77 – 68.  They continued to lead through the first six minutes of the fourth and seemingly had the game in hand, and then he took over…  Dwyane Wade, D-Wade, Flash, however you want to address him; he flipped on a switch and turned game three into volume one of the “Dwyane Wade bank shot instructional video.” With his team down 13 points and their season sliding down the drain with every passing minute, Dwyane took his game to a new level.  Putting on a show of mid range jumpers, unstoppable moves to the basket, and unshakeable poise, he brought his Heat team back to tie the game with only 16 seconds left to play.  Though the youngster Wade brought his team back, it was 67-year old Gary Payton (he’s actually only 36) that hit the game winning shot.  Down by two, the Mavs had one last chance to get back in the game.  They gave the ball to seven foot forward Dirk Nowitzki, he drove the lane and got fouled as he attempted a desperation shot.  Dirk, normally a 90% free throw shooter, made the first then clanked the second off the back iron.  That missed free throw and a last second knock away by Dwyane Wade gave the Heat their first ever Finals victory.

Game four was dominated by the white hot Miami Heat.  The Heat totally dismantled the Mavericks and held them to their lowest playoff output of 74 points.  The Heat were led by 36 points from Dwyane Wade and held the trio of Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Dirk Nowitzki to 36 points.  Though the Heat blew the Mavs completely out of the arena, the main story was the suspension of Dallas sixth man, Jerry Stackhouse.  While attempting a casual lay up, Shaquille O’Neal was blind sided by the vengeful Stackhouse, causing O’Neal to crash to the floor and roll into the second row.  Stackhouse’s hard foul on the Diesel forced NBA commissioner David Stern to levy a one game suspension.  The suspension sent Dallas owner Mark Cuban into frenzy, causing him to “reportedly” say that commissioner Stern “ran a rigged up league.”  Cuban’s eccentric behavior warranted him a $250K fine and another violent shove onto Commissioner Stern’s bad side.

I believe I would be remiss if I did not include the game five pre-game statements of Dallas head coach Avery Johnson.   When Avery was asked about his thoughts on the NBA’s ruling to suspend Jerry Stackhouse, he had this to say: “What am I supposed to do?  Everybody is so amazed that I disagree with the decision.  What am I supposed to do?  Go out and have a parade or a party?  Because the league comes down with a certain ruling, what are we supposed to do as coaches?  Say amen?”  Also, when asked of his comments about certain players getting preferential treatment Avery ranted: “Their player, player A, came over and just pounded Dirk.  I wasn’t crying about a flagrant foul, it was an elbow to Dirk’s head.  We weren’t crying about a flagrant foul because we don’t complain about flagrant fouls.  But we make the same attempt and my player gets suspended.  So now because I’m supposed to be a religious man I’m supposed to come in here today and have a prayer meeting.”  This guy is a reporter’s dream interview.  He gives you instant classic quotes that you can harp on for days.  He has overtaken Jim Mora Sr. (you know, the “Playoffs?!” guy) as the best post game interview.  Oh boy, if that doesn’t make you laugh when you read it, I don’t know what does…

Game five.  The “swing” game as it is sometimes called was marred by with controversy and filled with emotion.  The Heat came in having won the last two games and full of confidence.  The Mavericks limped in short handed and unsure of their ability to compete with this Heat team.  The game was hard fought from the tip of the ball.  Dwyane Wade continued with his relentless and brilliant play.  The man they call Flash averaged 34.7 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game in the finals.  The game was nip and tuck the entire way.  It would only be fitting that this game went into overtime.  With the game tied at 91, Dallas got the first opportunity to pull away.  With only 26 seconds left in regulation, the Mavs drew up a play for… “Ericka”, I mean Erick Dampier.  The Heat converged on Nowitzki, leaving Dampier wide open under the basket. With Dallas up 93 – 91, Miami turned to the phenom that got them this far.  Flash, flashed his brilliance once again by driving down the lane and elevated over his defender and sank another game winning bank shot.  After a failed Dallas shot attempt, we were headed to overtime.  The turning point of this game came with 54 seconds left in the overtime quarter.  Dallas forward Josh Howard, normally an 84% free throw shooter, stepped up to the free throw line with the opportunity to put his Mavs up by three points and missed both.  Those missed free throws changed the outcome of the game.  On the next Miami possession, “old man river” Gary Payton made a driving move to the basket and tossed up a high arching runner that banked high off the backboard and went down.  Putting the Heat up 99 – 98 and putting the pressure on Dallas.  Mavericks’ superstar Dirk Nowitzki came down court and drained a fade away jump shot.  With Dallas back in front 100 – 99 and only nine seconds remaining, Miami called on the man…  Dwyane Wade took the ball at half court, dribbled left, cut back right, dashed to the basket and… gets fouled.  D-Wade stepped to the line, the first one…swish.  Game tied.  The next thing that happened might be the most controversial ever…  The curse of Chris Webber rears its ugly head once again.  After the FIRST free throw, Josh Howard stepped across the lane and signaled for a timeout as his coach screamed to cancel out his error.  Too late.  Official Joe DeRosa awarded Dallas their final timeout under heavy protest from the Dallas bench.  Flash stepped up to the line and sank the second free throw and sank the Mavericks chances of winning game five.  Miami wins all three at home and lead 3 – 2.

Game 6: One for the Old Guys

Game six was predicted to be Dallas’ chance to finally get a taste of “home cooking.”  I guess their mom was never much of a chef.  The Miami Heat came into Dallas looking to win their fourth straight game and capture their first ever NBA world championship.  Mission accomplished.  “15 Strong” was the motto for the Miami Heat during this year’s playoffs and they definitely looked the part.  

The Mavericks jumped out on top early on in the game, but the resilient Heat hung around and put themselves in a good position to win the game.  The Mavs started to feel their season slip away as Dwyane continued to look unstoppable with his mid range bank shot and his uncanny ability to slash to the basket.  D-Wade dominated the entire game, ending up with 36 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks and solidifying his spot as the NBA Finals MVP.  His late game poise and ability to knock down clutch free throws closed the door on the Mavericks and gave the Heat and their fans a chance to jump for joy.  Miami went into Dallas a beat the Mavs 95 – 92.
Now I have to admit.  I have doubted this Miami Heat team all season.  I picked against them at the beginning of these finals and I couldn’t have been more wrong.  The Heat was definitely the better team, they were able to keep their composure late in the game, and they were able to make the plays when they needed to.  The best player on the court was clearly Dwyane Wade and he showed that with his magnificent play and extraordinary talent.  Not to mention the sentimental appeal of Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton finally winning a ring after chasing it for so long.  So allow me to do the honors and introduce to you for the first time, the 2005-06 NBA World Champions…

The Miami Heat.