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AnonymousInactiveWade Leads Heat to First NBA Championship
Star Guard Scores 36 Points in Win Over Mavs
DALLAS
June 06 – Pat Riley first promised it 11 years ago: a Miami Heat
victory parade down Biscayne Boulevard. Shaquille O’Neal guaranteed it
two summers ago, vowing to add a fourth ring to his big hand in his new
city.And with one tenacious game after another in these NBA finals,
Dwyane Wade delivered both.The Miami Heat are champions for the first
time, thanks to two basketball greats who made good on their promises –
and the next great one, whose promise seems unlimited.The man they call
“Flash” had 36 points and 10 rebounds in the teeth of a hostile Dallas
crowd Tuesday night, capping his magnificent playoffs and the Heat’s
sizzling four-game comeback by leading Miami past the Mavericks
95-92.”It’s one of the best feelings, next to my wife and my son, that
I’ve ever had in my life,” Wade said. “I’m going to live it up!”The
Heat roared back from a two-game deficit to win the NBA finals in six.
Wade, the obvious finals MVP, cemented his superstardom with a dominant
four-game performance capped by four pressure-packed, final-minute free
throws in the same building where Miami went down two games to none.
NBA Finals: Mavs vs. Heat
Series Schedule/Results:
Game 1: Mavericks 90, Heat 80
Game 2: Mavericks 99, Heat 85
Game 3: Heat 98, Mavericks 96
Game 4: Heat 98, Mavericks 74
Game 5: Heat 101, Mavs 100 (OT)
Game 6: Heat 95, Mavs 92
He
even missed a pair in the waning seconds, giving Dallas a final shot to
tie. But Jason Terry missed an open look for 3, and Wade grabbed the
rebound and flung it joyously into the stands as time expired.Where
there’s a Wade, there’s a will. His grace added a fifth ring to Riley’s
finger – third-most among NBA coaches – and the first jewelry in Shaq’s
collection with no connection to Kobe Bryant.”The great Pat Riley told
me we were going to win today,” said O’Neal, who had nine points and 12
rebounds. “I didn’t have the best game. But D-Wade’s been doing it all
year. He’s the best player ever.”Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 15
rebounds for the Mavs, but Dallas couldn’t manage the last basket it
needed to topple Wade’s determination. With their crowd booing every
call and seething with every missed opportunity, the Mavs missed their
own chance for their first title.The Heat finished the franchise’s 18th
season with one of the league’s greatest rallies in a finals, and the
last period of Game 6 was appropriately gritty.Miami nursed a narrow
lead, taking an 89-85 advantage with 2:36 left on two jumpers by James
Posey. Jerry Stackhouse cut it to a point with a 3-pointer in his first
game back from suspension, but after Udonis Haslem and Josh Howard
traded jumpers, Wade hit two free throws with 26 seconds left.Erick
Dampier then fumbled a pass on Dallas’ next possession, and Wade fought
to get the loose ball. He hit two more free throws with 17.7 seconds to
play, but after Howard hit a pair, Wade missed two with 10.3 seconds
left.But Terry missed an open 3-pointer. It was the last of 11 straight
misses, and the final disappointment in the Mavs’ otherwise remarkable
season.”We made a lot of progress this year,” said Dallas’ Avery
Johnson, the NBA’s coach of the year. “We aimed high this year, and I
told them that a lot of teams have to go through this. This will really
hurt this summer. I hope they work out hard, make me a better coach.
I’m ready to try it again.”Miami hung onto the clincher in front of
more than 20,000 Dallas fans still furious at every NBA official and
commissioner David Stern for the Mavs’ three losses in Miami last week.
Owner Mark Cuban stoked the furor with his antics after Game 5, which
resulted in a $250,000 fine earlier Tuesday.But while the Mavs worried
about every perceived slight, the Heat focused on fulfilling the
promises of Riley and O’Neal.”I came to Miami because of this young
fella right here,” O’Neal said, indicating Wade. “I knew I wanted to
make him better.”Dallas’ fans both booed and cheered the trophy
presentation, and Stern was jeered repeatedly.Cuban stole the finals
spotlight earlier in the day, getting socked with the fine for his
complaints about the officials and general conspiracy theory. All of
Dallas caught the Mavs’ us-against-the-world vibe: Signs supporting
Cuban and suggesting a league conspiracy against the Mavs dotted the
stands for Game 6, and fans screamed at Stern in his courtside seat.But
the series actually was controlled by Wade, who ascended to the most
elite tier of NBA stars. He scored 121 points in three victories in
Miami before capping it with one more tenacious win.Riley wiped away
tears while hugging his players, and Miami crowded onto the hastily
assembled podium with the excitement of a high-school graduation.Riley,
who won his first ring since 1988, claimed he never considered the
possibility Miami wouldn’t finish with four straight wins.”I packed one
suit, one shirt and one tie,” he said before the game. “That’s
it.”Riley tied John Kundla with his fifth title as a head coach. Only
Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach have more, with nine apiece.O’Neal, who
fought foul trouble, was held to two of his worst career playoff games
in the earlier Dallas debacles, and he endured another extraordinary
struggle at the free-throw line in the series. None of it will matter
to the Big Champ: He’ll take a special pride in winning his first ring
without Bryant.Their partnership resulted in three titles and four
finals trips for the Los Angeles Lakers, but their clashing egos caused
a power struggle that led to Shaq’s trade. O’Neal has no such problems
with Wade, and their cohesion peaked in Miami’s four finals wins.Riley,
the slick-haired strategist who led the Lakers to four titles in the
1980s, now has vindication from those who criticized his decision to
take over the club from coach Stan Van Gundy early in the
season.Leaning on Riley’s savvy in coaching veterans and defense, the
Heat rolled through the postseason with surprising force – never even
facing a seventh game. Riley now has seven rings, counting his single
championships as a player and an assistant coach.And the Heat’s roster
is studded with stars who never won a title. Point guard Gary Payton
reached the finals with three teams before finally grabbing the ring,
while Alonzo Mourning played through 13 seasons, two retirements and a
serious kidney ailment for a championship.Antoine Walker, Jason
Williams, Posey, Haslem – all endured serious career troubles, and now
they’re all champions, too.Notes: The Heat became the first team to
rally from an 0-2 deficit to win the finals since the NBA went to its
2-3-2 format. Only two other teams ever did it: The Boston Celtics in
1969, and the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. -
AuthorJune 21, 2006 at 10:23 AM
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