2005–06 Miami Heat season

Professional basketball team season (won NBA championship) March 2026 August 2023 Miami Heat 2006 yes yes yes 52 30 Southeast 1 2 Stan Van Gundy (resigned) (through December 12, 2005) Pat Riley (after December 12, 2005) Randy Pfund Pat Riley Micky Arison American Airlines Arena WBFS-TVWFOR-TVSun Sports WIOD NBA champions(Defeated Mavericks 4–2) MIA The 2005–06 Miami Heat season was the 18th National Basketball Association season for the Miami Heat basketball franchise. During the offseason, the Heat acquired Jason Williams and James Posey from the Memphis Grizzlies, and All-Star forward Antoine Walker from the Boston Celtics, while signing free agent All-Star point guard Gary Payton. Early into the season, after a 11–10 start to the year, head coach Stan Van Gundy resigned, citing the desire to spend more time with his family, and Pat Riley resumed coaching the Heat. The Heat went 41–20 the rest of the way, finishing with a 52–30 record, good enough for first place in the Southeast Division and second place in the Eastern Conference overall. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal were both selected for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game. In the first round of the playoffs, the Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls in six games, and the New Jersey Nets in five games in the semi-finals to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons in a rematch of last year's playoffs. After splitting the first two games of the series, the Heat defeated the Pistons in six games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, where they faced the Dallas Mavericks. After losing the first two games of the series, the Heat recovered to win the next four games and the first ever championship in franchise history. The team was nicknamed "15 Strong". Offseason In August 2005, Shaquille O'Neal signed a 5-year-extension with the Heat for $100 million. Supporters applauded O'Neal's willingness to take what amounted to a pay cut, and the Heat's decision to secure O'Neal's services for the long term. They contend that O'Neal was worth more than $20 million per year, particularly given that considerably less valuable players earn almost the same amount. Critics, however, questioned the wisdom of the move, characterizing it as overpaying an aging and often injured player. On August 2, 2005, the Heat were involved in one of the largest trades in NBA history. It was a five-team trade which included the Heat, the New Orleans Hornets, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Boston Celtics, and the Utah Jazz. The Heat traded Rasual Butler to the Hornets, Eddie Jones to the Grizzlies, and Albert Miralles, Qyntel Woods, a 2006 2nd round draft pick, and a 2008 2nd round draft pick to the Celtics. In return, the Heat received Antoine Walker from the Celtics, Andre Emmett, James Posey, and Jason Williams from the Grizzlies, and Roberto Dueñas from the Hornets. Walker would be a reliable bench player during the season. Posey and Williams would be starters at small forward and point guard, respectively. Emmett would be waived on October 31, while Dueñas would not sign with the team. https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2006_transactions.html 2005-06 Miami Heat Transactions Basketball-Reference.com live https://web.archive.org/web/20240106111154/https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2006_transactions.html Jan 6, 2024 thumb|right|180px|Jason Williams would be the starting point guard on the Heat. 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. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/powelka01.html Kasib Powell Stats Basketball-Reference.com live https://web.archive.org/web/20231112073532/https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/powelka01.html Nov 12, 2023 Powell may not have played on the Heat during the season, but would join the team two seasons later. On August 12, the Heat signed Gerald Fitch. Fitch would be traded to the Houston Rockets on February 23 for Derek Anderson. On August 15, the Heat signed Matt Walsh. Walsh would be waived on November 18. On September 22, the Heat signed Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton. Payton would play his final two seasons in the NBA with the Heat. On October 3, the Heat signed Jason Kapono. On October 8, the Heat signed Earl Barron. NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 1 29 Wayne Simien Forward United States Kansas Roster Miami Heat 2005–06 5 Derek Anderson basketball G 6 5 220 1974-07-18 Kentucky 49 Shandon Anderson GF 6 6 208 1973-12-31 Georgia 30 Earl Barron C 7 0 250 1981-08-14 Memphis 51 Michael Doleac C 6 11 262 1977-06-15 Utah 40 Udonis Haslem F 6 8 235 1980-06-09 Florida 24 Jason Kapono F 6 8 215 1981-02-04 UCLA 33 Alonzo Mourning C 6 10 240 1970-02-08 Georgetown 32 Shaquille O'Neal C 7 1 325 1972-03-06 LSU 20 Gary Payton G 6 4 180 1968-07-23 Oregon State 42 James Posey F 6 8 217 1977-01-13 Xavier 25 Wayne Simien F 6 9 260 1983-03-09 Kansas 3 Dwyane Wade G 6 4 220 1982-01-17 Marquette 8 Antoine Walker F 6 9 265 1976-08-12 Kentucky 55 Jason Williams basketball, born 1975 G 6 1 180 1975-11-18 Florida 1 Dorell Wright F 6 9 205 1985-12-02 South Kent (HS) Stan Van Gundy Pat Riley Keith Askins Bill Foran Bob McAdoo Ron Rothstein Erik Spoelstra https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2006.html February 23, 2006 Regular season In the second game of the 2005–06 season, O'Neal injured his right ankle and subsequently missed the following 18 games. Many critics stated that Heat coach Pat Riley correctly managed O'Neal during the rest of the season, limiting his minutes to a career low. Riley felt doing so would allow O'Neal to be healthier and fresher come playoff time. Although O'Neal averaged career (or near-career) lows in points, rebounds, and blocks, he said in an interview "Stats don't matter. I care about winning, not stats. If I score 0 points and we win I'm happy. If I score 50, 60 points, break the records, and we lose, I'm pissed off. 'Cause I knew I did something wrong. I'll have a hell of a season if I win the championship and average 20 points a game." During the 2005–06 season, the Heat recorded only a .500 record without O'Neal in the line-up. During the 2005 off-season, it was widely speculated Pat Riley was attempting to run Van Gundy out of his coaching job and take over the job himself, as the team was in a position to contend for the championship.https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=2256435 Heat coach Van Gundy resigns; Riley returns ESPN Dec 12, 2005 Associated Press October 23, 2015 live https://web.archive.org/web/20150905061512/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2256435 September 5, 2015 Van Gundy would resign from his position as head coach on December 12, 2005, just 21 games into the season, citing a need to spend more time with his family. Riley replaced him as head coach, and led Miami to their first championship that same 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."Shaq Uncut: My Story O'Neal, S. MacMullan, J. 2011 Grand Central Publishing 9781455504428 https://books.google.com/books?id=rqRPwiOyEcgC&pg=PT181 October 23, 2015 On April 11, 2006, Shaquille O'Neal recorded his second career triple-double against the Toronto Raptors with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career high 10 assists. Standings mia Game log Miami Heat 2006 Total: 52–30 (Home: 31–10; Road: 21–20) Miami Heat November yes 7 2 2 4 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | November 2 | @ Memphis | 20051102 MEM 97 78 | Antoine Walker (25) | Antoine Walker (16) | Dwyane Wade (6) | FedEx Forum18,119 | 1–0 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | November 3 | Indiana | 20051103 MIA 102 105 | Dwyane Wade (31) | Udonis Haslem (8) | Dwyane Wade (10) | American Airlines Arena20,128 | 1-1 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | November 5 | @ Milwaukee | 20051105 MIL 100 105 | Dwyane Wade (21) | Alonzo Mourning (12) | Dwyane Wade (9) | Bradley Center18,717 | 1–2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | November 7 | New Jersey | 20051107 MIA 90 89 | Dwyane Wade (23) | Alonzo Mourning (11) | Dwyane Wade (6) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 2-2 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | November 9 | @ Indiana | 20051109 IND 90 95 | Dwyane Wade (29) | Wade, Haslem (11) | Dwyane Wade (6) | Conseco Fieldhouse17,586 | 2–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | November 10 | Houston | 20051110 MIA 88 84 | Dwyane Wade (25) | Alonzo Mourning (9) | Dwyane Wade (7) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 3-3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | November 12 | Charlotte | 20051112 MIA 108 99 | Jason Williams (22) | Udonis Haslem (11) | Williams, Wade (7) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 4–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 8 | November 15 | New Orleans/Oklahoma City | 20051115 MIA 109 102 1 | Dwyane Wade (25) | Alonzo Mourning (11) | Dwyane Wade (10) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 5–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 9 | November 18 | Philadelphia | 20051118 MIA 106 96 | Dwyane Wade (32) | Udonis Haslem (12) | Dwyane Wade (10) | American Airlines Arena20,068 | 6–3 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 10 | November 20 | @ Toronto | 20051120 TOR 94 107 | Dwyane Wade (33) | Dwyane Wade (8) | Dwyane Wade (9) | Air Canada Centre17,594 | 6–4 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 11 | November 23 | Portland | 20051123 MIA 100 79 | Dwyane Wade (19) | Dwyane Wade (11) | three players tied (4) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 7–4 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 12 | November 25 | Dallas | 20051125 MIA 90 103 | Jason Williams (24) | Udonis Haslem (8) | Jason Williams (5) | American Airlines Arena20,246 | 7–5 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 13 | November 26 | @ Orlando | 20051126 ORL 77 80 | Dwyane Wade (21) | Alonzo Mourning (21) | Dwyane Wade (4) | TD Waterhouse Centre16,619 | 7–6 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 14 | November 28 | New York | 20051128 MIA 107 94 | Dwyane Wade (33) | Udonis Haslem (12) | Jason Williams (6) | American Airlines Arena19,894 | 8–6 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 15 | November 30 | @ Atlanta | 20051130 ATL 96 74 | Jason Williams (21) | Alonzo Mourning (12) | Jason Williams (9) | Philips Arena16,029 | 9–6 Miami Heat December 4 2 5 5 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 16 | December 2 | @ Sacramento | 20051202 SAC 98 87 | Dwyane Wade (27) | Udonis Haslem (8) | Jason Williams (8) | ARCO Arena17,317 | 10–6 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 17 | December 3 | @ Denver | 20051203 DEN 99 101 | Dwyane Wade (32) | James Posey (10) | Dwyane Wade (6) | Pepsi Center18,196 | 10–7 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 18 | December 5 | @ L.A. Clippers | 20051205 LAC 89 99 | Dwyane Wade (29) | Alonzo Mourning (12) | Jason Williams (9) | Staples Center19,060 | 10–8 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 19 | December 7 | @ San Antonio | 20051207 SAS 84 98 | Dwyane Wade (31) | Alonzo Mourning (7) | Dwyane Wade (10) | SBC Center18,797 | 10–9 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 20 | December 9 | Denver | 20051209 MIA 92 100 | Dwyane Wade (37) | Dwyane Wade (10) | Antoine Walker (5) | American Airlines Arena19,896 | 10-10 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 21 | December 11 | Washington | 20051211 MIA 104 101 1 | Dwyane Wade (41) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Dwyane Wade (8) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 11–10 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 22 | December 13 | @ Chicago | 20051213 CHI 100 97 | Shaquille O'Neal (30) | Alonzo Mourning (12) | Dwyane Wade (11) | United Center19,129 | 12–10 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 23 | December 14 | @ Milwaukee | 20051214 MIL 100 83 | Dwyane Wade (27) | Udonis Haslem (10) | Dwyane Wade (7) | Bradley Center16,287 | 13–10 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 24 | December 16 | @ Philadelphia | 20051216 PHI 112 105 | Dwyane Wade (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Gary Payton (5) | Wachovia Center20,652 | 14–10 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 25 | December 17 | @ Cleveland | 20051217 CLE 107 115 | Dwyane Wade (33) | Shaquille O'Neal (6) | Wade, Walker (7) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 14–11 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 26 | December 20 | Atlanta | 20051220 MIA 111 92 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Gary Payton (8) | American Airlines Arena20,294 | 15–11 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 27 | December 23 | New Jersey | 20051223 MIA 88 95 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Dwyane Wade (7) | American Airlines Arena20,065 | 15–12 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 28 | December 25 | L.A. Lakers | 20051225 MIA 97 92 | Gary Payton (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Dwyane Wade (5) | American Airlines Arena20,277 | 16–12 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 29 | December 27 | Milwaukee | 20051227 MIA 109 98 | Dwyane Wade (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Wade, Williams (7) | American Airlines Arena20,270 | 17–12 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 30 | December 29 | @ Detroit | 20051229 DET 101 106 | Dwyane Wade (33) | Udonis Haslem (10) | Dwyane Wade (9) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 17–13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 31 | December 30 | @ Washington | 20051230 WAS 128 113 | Dwyane Wade (34) | Antoine Walker (13) | Gary Payton (7) | MCI Center20,173 | 18–13 Miami Heat January 4 2 6 3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 32 | January 1 | Minnesota | 20060101 MIA 97 70 | Dwyane Wade (19) | Alonzo Mourning (10) | Dwyane Wade (9) | American Airlines Arena20,274 | 19–13 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 33 | January 4 | @ New Orleans/Oklahoma City | 20060104 NOK 92 107 | O'Neal, Wade (19) | Dwyane Wade (10) | Dwyane Wade (10) | Ford Center19,326 | 19–14 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 34 | January 6 | @ Phoenix | 20060106 PHO 93 111 | Antoine Walker (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Gerald Fitch (6) | US Airways Center18,422 | 19–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 35 | January 8 | @ Portland | 20060108 POR 118 89 | Dwyane Wade (31) | James Posey (9) | Jason Williams (8) | Rose Garden18,032 | 20–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 36 | January 11 | @ Golden State | 20060111 GSW 110 96 | Dwyane Wade (32) | Haslem, O'Neal (10) | Dwyane Wade (11) | The Arena in Oakland20,075 | 21–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 37 | January 13 | @ Seattle | 20060113 SEA 117 104 | Posey, Williams (19) | Dwyane Wade (10) | Dwyane Wade (14) | KeyArena17,072 | 22–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 38 | January 14 | @ Utah | 20060114 UTA 100 94 | Dwyane Wade (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Dwyane Wade (8) | Delta Center19,911 | 23–15 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 39 | January 16 | @ L.A. Lakers | 20060116 LAL 92 100 | Dwyane Wade (34) | Udonis Haslem (12) | Dwyane Wade (7) | Staples Center18,997 | 23–16 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 40 | January 20 | San Antonio | 20060120 MIA 94 101 | Dwyane Wade (36) | Posey, Walker (7) | Haslem, Williams (3) | American Airlines Arena20,287 | 23–17 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 41 | January 22 | Sacramento | 20060122 MIA 119 99 | Shaquille O'Neal (27) | three players tied (6) | Jason Williams (11) | American Airlines Arena20,071 | 24–17 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 42 | January 24 | Memphis | 20060124 MIA 94 82 | Dwyane Wade (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Jason Williams (6) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 25–17 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 43 | January 26 | Phoenix | 20060126 MIA 98 107 | Dwyane Wade (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Gary Payton (8) | American Airlines Arena20,025 | 25–18 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 44 | January 27 | @ Charlotte | 20060127 CHA 91 85 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Gerald Fitch (8) | Gary Payton (8) | Charlotte Bobcats Arena19,026 | 26–18 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 45 | January 29 | @ Houston | 20060129 HOU 101 95 | Dwyane Wade (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Dwyane Wade (9) | Toyota Center18,199 | 27–18 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 46 | January 30 | L.A. Clippers | 20060130 MIA 118 114 | Dwyane Wade (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Dwyane Wade (11) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 28–18 Miami Heat February 6 0 2 2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 47 | February 2 | Cleveland | 20060202 MIA 101 73 | Dwyane Wade (24) | James Posey (10) | Jason Williams (8) | American Airlines Arena20,168 | 29–18 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 48 | February 4 | @ New Jersey | 20060204 NJN 92 105 | Dwyane Wade (31) | Posey, O'Neal (7) | Jason Williams (7) | Continental Airlines Arena19,268 | 29–19 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 49 | February 6 | Boston | 20060206 MIA 114 98 | Dwyane Wade (34) | Dwyane Wade (8) | Dwyane Wade (8) | American Airlines Arena19,986 | 30–19 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 50 | February 9 | @ Dallas | 20060209 DAL 76 112 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Dwyane Wade (8) | American Airlines Center20,273 | 30–20 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 51 | February 12 | Detroit | 20060212 MIA 100 98 | Dwyane Wade (37) | Wade, O'Neal (8) | Jason Williams (5) | American Airlines Arena20,289 | 31–20 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 52 | February 14 | Orlando | 20060214 MIA 107 93 | Dwyane Wade (38) | Udonis Haslem (14) | Jason Williams (4) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 32–20 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 53 | February 15 | @ Orlando | 20060215 ORL 110 100 | Dwyane Wade (36) | Udonis Haslem (12) | Dwyane Wade (9) | TD Waterhouse Centre17,283 | 33–20 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 54 | February 22 | @ New York | 20060222 NYK 103 83 | Williams, Wade (24) | Udonis Haslem (8) | Williams, Wade (5) | Madison Square Garden19,763 | 34–20 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 55 | February 25 | Seattle | 20060225 MIA 115 106 | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | three players tied (9) | Dwyane Wade (11) | American Airlines Arena20,255 | 35–20 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 56 | February 27 | Toronto | 20060227 MIA 101 94 | Dwyane Wade (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Dwyane Wade (6) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 36–20 Miami Heat March 7 1 5 2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 57 | March 1 | @ Boston | 20060301 BOS 103 96 | Dwyane Wade (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Jason Williams (9) | TD Banknorth Garden18,624 | 37–20 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 58 | March 4 | Atlanta | 20060304 MIA 95 93 | Shaquille O'Neal (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Jason Williams (7) | American Airlines Arena20,023 | 38–20 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 59 | March 6 | @ Charlotte | 20060306 CHA 106 105 1 | Shaquille O'Neal (35) | Udonis Haslem (13) | Jason Williams (5) | Charlotte Bobcats Arena17,165 | 39–20 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 60 | March 8 | Washington | 20060308 MIA 118 112 | Dwyane Wade (40) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Wade, Williams (5) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 40–20 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 61 | March 10 | Golden State | 20060310 MIA 106 111 | Dwyane Wade (42) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Dwyane Wade (6) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 40–21 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 62 | March 12 | Cleveland | 20060312 MIA 98 92 | Dwyane Wade (35) | Dwyane Wade (9) | Dwyane Wade (7) | American Airlines Arena20,268 | 41–21 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 63 | March 14 | Utah | 20060314 MIA 121 83 | Dwyane Wade (25) | three players tied (7) | Jason Williams (7) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 42–21 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 64 | March 16 | Boston | 20060316 MIA 107 104 | Dwyane Wade (30) | Haslem, O'Neal (11) | Dwyane Wade (6) | American Airlines Arena20,188 | 43–21 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 65 | March 18 | @ Chicago | 20060318 CHI 85 84 | Dwyane Wade (15) | Udonis Haslem (11) | Jason Williams (5) | United Center22,439 | 44–21 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 66 | March 19 | @ New York | 20060319 NYK 111 100 | Dwyane Wade (30) | Udonis Haslem (7) | Wade, Williams (9) | Madison Square Garden19,763 | 45–21 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 67 | March 21 | @ Minnesota | 20060321 MIN 96 100 | Dwyane Wade (35) | Alonzo Mourning (12) | Dwyane Wade (8) | American Airlines Arena17,927 | 45–22 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 68 | March 22 | @ Detroit | 20060322 DET 73 82 | Shaquille O'Neal (27) | Udonis Haslem (12) | Dwyane Wade (9) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 45–23 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 69 | March 24 | Charlotte | 20060324 MIA 114 93 | Dwyane Wade (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Dwyane Wade (8) | American Airlines Arena20,146 | 46–23 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 70 | March 27 | Indiana | 20060327 MIA 96 91 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Dwyane Wade (5) | American Airlines Arena20,204 | 47–23 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 71 | March 29 | @ Toronto | 20060329 TOR 98 94 | Dwyane Wade (37) | Udonis Haslem (13) | Shandon Anderson (4) | Air Canada Centre19,973 | 48–23 Miami Heat April 3 3 1 4 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 72 | April 1 | @ Cleveland | 20060401 CLE 99 106 | Dwyane Wade (44) | Udonis Haslem (11) | Dwyane Wade (9) | Quicken Loans Arena20,562 | 48–24 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 73 | April 2 | @ New Jersey | 20060402 NJN 78 90 | Dwyane Wade (32) | Udonis Haslem (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Continental Airlines Arena18,928 | 48–25 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 74 | April 4 | Milwaukee | 20060404 MIA 115 89 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Dwyane Wade (8) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 49–25 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 75 | April 6 | Detroit | 20060406 MIA 82 95 | Dwyane Wade (29) | Dwyane Wade (9) | Dwyane Wade (6) | American Airlines Arena20,290 | 49–26 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 76 | April 8 | @ Washington | 20060408 WAS 99 86 | Shaquille O'Neal (27) | Udonis Haslem (14) | Payton, Wade (8) | MCI Center20,173 | 50–26 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 77 | April 9 | Orlando | 20060409 MIA 84 93 | Dwyane Wade (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Dwyane Wade (7) | American Airlines Arena20,021 | 50–27 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 78 | April 11 | Toronto | 20060411 MIA 106 97 | Antoine Walker (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | American Airlines Arena19,600 | 51–27 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 79 | April 14 | Philadelphia | 20060414 MIA 104 85 | Dwyane Wade (25) | Udonis Haslem (14) | Dwyane Wade (8) | American Airlines Arena20,268 | 52–27 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 80 | April 16 | Chicago | 20060416 MIA 93 117 | Antoine Walker (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (6) | D. Anderson, Williams (3) | American Airlines Arena20,248 | 52–28 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 81 | April 18 | @ Atlanta | 20060418 ATL 100 103 | Dorell Wright (19) | Michael Doleac (8) | Jason Kapono (6) | Philips Arena19,718 | 52–29 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 82 | April 19 | @ Boston | 20060419 BOS 78 85 | Dorell Wright (20) | Udonis Haslem (8) | Derek Anderson (4) | TD Banknorth Garden18,624 | 52–30 MIA 2006 Playoffs Miami Heat 2006 yes Miami Heat First Round yes yes no 3 0 1 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 22 | Chicago | 20060422 MIA 111 106 | Dwyane Wade (30) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Dwyane Wade (11) | American Airlines Arena20,288 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 24 | Chicago | 20060424 MIA 115 108 | Williams, O'Neal (22) | Antoine Walker (10) | Dwyane Wade (7) | American Airlines Arena20,214 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | April 27 | @ Chicago | 20060427 CHI 90 109 | Dwyane Wade (26) | Udonis Haslem (10) | Wade, Williams (4) | United Center22,133 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | April 30 | @ Chicago | 20060430 CHI 87 93 | Antoine Walker (21) | Udonis Haslem (9) | Dwyane Wade (10) | United Center22,361 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 2 | Chicago | 20060502 MIA 92 78 | Dwyane Wade (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Dwyane Wade (5) | American Airlines Arena20,287 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | May 4 | @ Chicago | 20060504 CHI 113 96 | Shaquille O'Neal (30) | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Dwyane Wade (6) | United Center22,584 | 4–2 Miami Heat Conference Semifinals yes no 2 1 2 0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | May 8 | New Jersey | 20060508 MIA 88 100 | Dwyane Wade (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Wade, Williams (3) | American Airlines Arena20,208 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | May 10 | New Jersey | 20060510 MIA 111 89 | Dwyane Wade (31) | Udonis Haslem (10) | Dwyane Wade (6) | American Airlines Arena20,227 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 12 | @ New Jersey | 20060512 NJN 103 92 | Dwyane Wade (30) | James Posey (10) | Dwyane Wade (10) | Continental Airlines Arena20,102 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 14 | @ New Jersey | 20060514 NJN 102 92 | Dwyane Wade (31) | Udonis Haslem (11) | Dwyane Wade (8) | Continental Airlines Arena19,474 | 3–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 16 | New Jersey | 20060516 MIA 106 105 | Antoine Walker (23) | Udonis Haslem (10) | Dwyane Wade (6) | American Airlines Arena20,255 | 4–1 Miami Heat Conference Finals yes no 3 0 1 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | May 23 | @ Detroit | 20060523 DET 91 86 | Dwyane Wade (25) | Udonis Haslem (9) | Dwyane Wade (5) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 25 | @ Detroit | 20060525 DET 88 92 | Dwyane Wade (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Dwyane Wade (5) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 27 | Detroit | 20060527 MIA 98 83 | Dwyane Wade (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Walker, Wade (4) | American Airlines Arena20,245 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 29 | Detroit | 20060529 MIA 89 78 | Dwyane Wade (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Dwyane Wade (5) | American Airlines Arena20,248 | 3–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 31 | @ Detroit | 20060531 DET 78 91 | Dwyane Wade (23) | Udonis Haslem (10) | Jason Williams (6) | The Palace of Auburn Hills22,076 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | June 2 | Detroit | 20060602 MIA 95 78 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Dwyane Wade (10) | American Airlines Arena20,258 | 4–2 |- Miami Heat NBA Finals yes no 3 0 1 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | June 8 | @ Dallas | 20060608 DAL 80 90 | Dwyane Wade (28) | Udonis Haslem (9) | Dwyane Wade (6) | American Airlines Center20,475 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | June 11 | @ Dallas | 20060611 DAL 85 99 | Dwyane Wade (23) | Dwyane Wade (8) | Payton, Williams (4) | American Airlines Center20,459 | 0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | June 13 | Dallas | 20060613 MIA 98 96 | Dwyane Wade (42) | Dwyane Wade (13) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | American Airlines Arena20,145 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | June 15 | Dallas | 20060615 MIA 98 74 | Dwyane Wade (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Jason Williams (6) | American Airlines Arena20,145 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | June 18 | Dallas | 20060618 MIA 101 100 1 | Dwyane Wade (43) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Wade, Williams (4) | American Airlines Arena20,145 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | June 20 | @ Dallas | 20060620 DAL 95 92 | Dwyane Wade (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Jason Williams (7) | American Airlines Center20,522 | 4–2 MIA yes 2006 2006 NBA Finals 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. #eee June 8 1 21:00 ET Miami Heat 80 90 | team2 = Dallas Mavericks 31–23 13–23 24–24 12–20 Dwyane Wade 28 Udonis Haslem 8 Dwyane Wade 6 Jason Terry 32 Josh Howard 12 Nowitzki, Howard 4 each American Airlines Center, Dallas 20,475 Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore Dallas leads series, 1–0. 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. #eee June 11 2 21:00 ET Miami Heat 85 99 | team2 = Dallas Mavericks 17–18 17–32 24–32 27–17 Dwyane Wade 23 Dwyane Wade 8 Payton, Williams 4 each Dirk Nowitzki 26 Dirk Nowitzki 16 Jason Terry 9 American Airlines Center, Dallas 20,459 Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush ABC Dallas leads series, 2–0. 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. #eee June 13 3 21:00 ET Dallas Mavericks 96 98 | team2 = Miami Heat 21–29 22–23 34–16 19–30 Dirk Nowitzki 30 Erick Dampier 9 Jason Terry 5 Dwyane Wade 42 Dwyane Wade 13 Shaquille O'Neal 5 AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami 20,145 Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies ABC Dallas leads series, 2–1. 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 his suspension for Game 5. #eee June 15 4 21:00 ET Dallas Mavericks 74 98 | team2 = Miami Heat 25–30 19–24 23–24 7–20 Jason Terry 17 Dirk Nowitzki 9 Jerry Stackhouse 4 Dwyane Wade 36 Shaquille O'Neal 13 Jason Williams 6 AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami 20,145 Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer ABC Miami ties series, 2–2. 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.2006-06-21 NBA: No backcourt violation on winning possession https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=2492752 2025-06-08 ESPN.com Associated Press en 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.Sheridan Chris 2006-06-20 Cuban fined $250,000, says games not 'rigged' https://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2492729 2025-03-19 ESPN.com Associated Press en #eee June 18 5 21:00 ET Dallas Mavericks 100 101 | team2 = Miami Heat 21–24 30–19 20–27 22–23 7–8 Jason Terry 35 Josh Howard 10 Marquis Daniels 4 Dwyane Wade 43 Shaquille O'Neal 12 Wade, Williams 4 each AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami 20,145 Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore ABC Miami leads series, 3–2. 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). #eee June 20 6 21:00 ET Miami Heat | score1 = 95 92 Dallas Mavericks 23–30 26–18 22–20 24–24 Dirk Nowitzki 29 Dirk Nowitzki 12 Jason Terry 5 Dwyane Wade 36 Shaquille O'Neal 12 Jason Williams 7 American Airlines Center, Dallas 20,522 Dan Crawford, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush ABC Miami wins series, 4–2. Player statistics Regular season Player POS Position GP Games played GS Games starter MP Minutes played REB Rebounds AST Assists STL Steals BLK Blocks PTS Points MPG Minutes per game RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per gameAntoine WalkerPF82 19 2,199 421 166 47 30 1,000 26.8 5.1 2.0 .6 .4 12.2Udonis HaslemPF 81 80 2,491 634 95 50 17 757 30.8 7.8 1.2 .6 .2 9.3Gary PaytonPG 81 25 2,305 233 257 71 10 626 28.5 2.9 3.2 .9 .1 7.7Dwyane WadeSG 75 75 2,892 430 503 146 58 2,040 38.6 5.7 6.7 1.9 .8 27.2James PoseySF 67 63 1,914 319 89 54 20 483 28.6 4.8 1.3 .8 .3 7.2Alonzo MourningC 65 20 1,302 359 11 13 173 509 20.0 5.5 .2 .2 2.7 7.8Shaquille O'NealC 59 58 1,806 541 113 23 104 1,181 30.6 9.2 1.9 .4 1.8 20.0Jason Williams basketball, born 1975PG 59 56 1,874 139 287 53 5 728 31.8 2.4 4.9 .9 .1 12.3Jason KaponoSF 51 2 665 71 37 7 3 207 13.0 1.4 .7 .1 .1 4.1Shandon AndersonSF 48 1 638 81 30 17 6 126 13.3 1.7 .6 .4 .1 2.6Wayne SimienPF 43 2 414 88 7 13 1 146 9.6 2.0 .2 .3 .0 3.4Michael DoleacC 31 3 371 85 8 10 7 98 12.0 2.7 .3 .3 .2 3.2Derek Anderson basketball†SG 23 3 465 60 48 8 2 133 20.2 2.6 2.1 .3 .1 5.8Dorell WrightSF 20 2 132 32 8 3 1 58 6.6 1.6 .4 .2 .1 2.9Gerald FitchPG 18 1 239 30 33 7 5 84 13.3 1.7 1.8 .4 .3 4.7Earl BarronC 8 0 45 10 0 0 0 13 5.6 1.3 .0 .0 .0 1.6Matt Walsh basketballSG 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 1.5 .0 .0 .0 .0 1.0 † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Heat only. Playoffs Player POS Position GP Games played GS Games starter MP Minutes played REB Rebounds AST Assists STL Steals BLK Blocks PTS Points MPG Minutes per game RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per gameDwyane WadeSG23 23 959 135 132 51 26 654 41.7 5.9 5.7 2.2 1.1 28.4Antoine WalkerPF23 23 862 129 56 23 8 307 37.5 5.6 2.4 1.0 .3 13.3Shaquille O'NealC23 23 759 225 39 11 34 424 33.0 9.8 1.7 .5 1.5 18.4Jason Williams basketball, born 1975PG23 23 686 46 90 15 0 214 29.8 2.0 3.9 .7 .0 9.3Gary PaytonPG23 0 560 40 36 23 3 133 24.3 1.7 1.6 1.0 .1 5.8Udonis HaslemPF 22 22 650 162 17 13 7 189 29.5 7.4 .8 .6 .3 8.6James PoseySF 22 1 607 125 20 17 2 160 27.6 5.7 .9 .8 .1 7.3Alonzo MourningC 21 0 226 61 3 5 24 80 10.8 2.9 .1 .2 1.1 3.8Shandon AndersonSF 13 0 90 12 4 0 1 13 6.9 .9 .3 .0 .1 1.0Michael DoleacC 8 0 72 22 0 1 0 16 9.0 2.8 .0 .1 .0 2.0Derek Anderson basketballSG 8 0 66 9 5 2 0 24 8.3 1.1 .6 .3 .0 3.0Wayne SimienPF 2 0 7 1 0 0 0 0 3.5 .5 .0 .0 .0 .0Jason KaponoSF 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 Award winners Shaquille O'Neal, NBA leader in field goal percentage He joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players in league history to lead the league in field goal percentage nine times. Shaquille O'Neal, All-NBA First Team Dwyane Wade, NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Champion Dwyane Wade, All-NBA Second Team Dwyane Wade, NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year NBA All-Star Game Dwyane Wade, NBA All-Star Game Appearance Shaquille O'Neal, NBA All-Star Appearance References Heat on Database Basketball Heat on Basketball Reference Category:Miami Heat seasons Miami Category:Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons Category:NBA championship seasons Miami Heat Miami Heat