The 2006 NBA Finals between Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat and Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks remains controversial in NBA Finals. The Mavericks' now-minority owner Mark Cuban still believes that title was taken from them, which Wade took notice with a subtle response.
That series was Wade's true arrival as a superstar in the NBA. He torched the Mavericks' defense throughout the series, helping the Heat come back from a 2-0 deficit to win the title in six games. He averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 steals, and a block per contest on 46.8% shooting from the field and 77.3% from the free-throw line.
Wade was monumental in that series, cementing his place as one of the best guards in the league at the time. As for Dallas, it was heartbreak as the series lead they had vanished with controversy. Cuban, majority owner at the time, believed that questionable officiating robbed the team of the championship, resulting in Miami winning instead.
“I'll take that to my grave, that it was stolen from us,” Cuban recently said on a DLLS Mavs show.
Wade noticed the post mentioning Cuban's quote. He left a like for everyone to see, being subtle in his response.
Dwyane Wade 😅👀
The former Miami Heat star liked this post on Instagram about Mark Cuban insisting the 2006 NBA Finals were “stolen” from the Dallas Mavericks. pic.twitter.com/mBfZZEEvzI
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 30, 2025
Dwyane Wade's Heat and Mavericks met again in NBA Finals
It's a humorous way for Dwyane Wade to reply to Mark Cuban's quote about the 2006 NBA Finals. The series was an opportunity for either team to win their first title, which Miami was more than willing to oblige.
Despite that initial heartbreak, the Mavericks would get their second chance in 2011. This time, Miami was the favorite with the star trio of Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. The Heat even had the 2-1 series lead, being two wins away from securing the title.
Dallas wasn't going to let the championship get away from them this time. Dirk Nowitzki played the best series of his career, leading the Mavericks to win the last three games of the series to win the franchise's first title.
Cuban was more than happy to avenge the Finals loss in 2006 by beating Wade and the Heat in 2011. However, he'll continue to insist that Dallas should've won that year as well.
In the meantime, Wade continues to enjoy retirement as one of the best players in NBA history. He won three titles with the Heat, earning 13 All-Star selections, eight All-NBA selections, and three All-Defensive selections. It's a career he will look back on for the rest of his life.
