Owner(s) Micky Arison Record 52–30 (.634) | Arena AmericanAirlines Arena | |
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Head coach Stan Van Gundy and Pat Riley Place Division: 1st (Southeast)
Conference: 2nd (Eastern) Playoff finish NBA Champions
(Defeated Mavericks 4-2) |
The 2005–06 Miami Heat season was the 18th National Basketball Association season for the Miami Heat basketball franchise. The highlight of the season was winning the 2006 NBA Finals and their first NBA Championship. The team was nicknamed "15 Strong".
Contents
- Offseason
- Regular season
- Playoffs
- 2006 NBA Playoffs
- Game One
- Game Two
- Game Three
- Game Four
- Game Five
- Game Six
- Award winners
- References
The team's season roster is featured in the video games NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17.
Offseason
On the same day, the Heat would sign Kasib Powell. He would sign with the Chicago Bulls on September 29, and the Bulls waived him on November 2. Powell may not have played on the Heat during the season, but would join the team two seasons later.
Regular season
In Shaquille O'Neal's book, "Shaq Uncut: My Story", O'Neal responded to allegations of being a "coach killer" and that he forced Van Gundy out of Miami by stating: "Stan got fired because Pat (Riley) wanted to take over, not because I wanted him out. I had no control over it — not a smidgen of control. We all kind of knew it was coming because Pat and Stan were always arguing. Pat would come down and tell Stan how to do something and Stan would want to do it his own way, and that was a fine game plan if you wanted to get yourself fired."
Regular season
* Statistics include only games with the Heat
Playoffs
* Statistics include only games with the Heat
2006 NBA Playoffs
Heat clinched a 2 seed at the Eastern Conference for the 2006 NBA Playoffs.
Game One
Dallas' Jason Terry scored a playoff-high 32 points as the Mavericks overcame a 31–23 deficit at the end of the first quarter.
Game Two
Dirk Nowitzki had a stellar 26 point-16 rebound performance, and the Mavericks cruised past the Heat to take a 2–0 series lead.
Game Three
Led by Dwyane Wade's 42 points and 13 rebounds, the Heat rallied from a 13-point deficit with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The momentum-changing comeback was capped by a Gary Payton field goal from just inside the three-point line with 9.3 seconds left.
Game Four
Dwyane Wade shined again for the Heat with 36 points, and Miami held Dallas to just seven points in the fourth quarter en route to a series-tying, blowout victory. The Mavericks' low-scoring fourth quarter was the lowest ever by any team during the NBA Finals. Jerry Stackhouse caught Shaquille O'Neal with a flagrant foul that resulted in him being suspended for Game 5.
Game Five
Making a strong case for NBA Finals MVP, Wade was the star yet again with 43 points shooting as many free throws as all the Mavericks combined, leading the Heat to their third straight win over Dallas after being down 0–2 in the series. After a controversial play in which Mavericks owner Mark Cuban thought Wade committed a backcourt violation, Wade hit the game-winning free throws with 1.9 seconds left, and also made the shot that sent the game into overtime. He set an NBA Finals record for most made free-throws in a game with 21. The NBA, upon further review of the play, deemed that the officials made the correct call, and that there was no backcourt violation committed.
After the game, Dirk Nowitzki kicked a ball into the stands and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban caused many "acts of misconduct" resulting in both of them being fined $5,000 and $250,000 respectively.
Game Six
Behind Dwyane Wade's 36 points, Miami edged Dallas to win their first championship in franchise history. Averaging 34.7 points per game in the championship series, Wade was named NBA Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player).
Award winners
NBA All-Star Game