2005–06 Miami Heat season

2005–06 Miami Heat season
NBA Champions
Conference Champions
Division Champions
First NBA Championship Shaquille O'Neal's fourth and final NBA Championship Dwyane Wade's first NBA Championship
Head coach	Stan Van Gundy and Pat Riley
Owner(s)	Micky Arison
Arena	AmericanAirlines Arena
Results
Record	52–30 (.634)
Place	Division: 1st (Southeast) Conference: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Champions (Defeated Mavericks 4-2)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	FSN Florida, Sun Sports
Radio	WIOD

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".

The team's season roster is featured in the video game NBA 2K16.^[1]

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/Oklahoma City 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.^[2]

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	29	Wayne Simien	Forward	United States	Kansas

Roster

Miami Heat roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From SG 5 Anderson, Derek 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Kentucky SF 49 Anderson, Shandon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Georgia C 30 Barron, Earl 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Memphis C 51 Doleac, Michael 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 262 lb (119 kg) Utah PF 40 Haslem, Udonis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Florida SF 24 Kapono, Jason 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) UCLA C 33 Mourning, Alonzo 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Georgetown C 32 O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 325 lb (147 kg) LSU PG 20 Payton, Gary 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oregon State SF 42 Posey, James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 217 lb (98 kg) Xavier PF 25 Simien, Wayne 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Kansas SG 3 Wade, Dwyane 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Marquette PF 8 Walker, Antoine 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Kentucky PG 55 Williams, Jason 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Florida SF 1 Wright, Dorell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) South Kent (HS)	Head coach Pat Riley Assistant coach(es) Keith Askins (Alabama) Bob McAdoo (North Carolina) Ron Rothstein (Rhode Island) Erik Spoelstra (Portland) Bill Foran (Central Michigan) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Reserve	Inactive
C	Shaquille O'Neal	Alonzo Mourning	Michael Doleac	Earl Barron
PF	Udonis Haslem		Wayne Simien
SF	Antoine Walker	James Posey		Jason Kapono
SG	Dwyane Wade	Derek Anderson	Shandon Anderson	Dorell Wright
PG	Jason Williams	Gary Payton

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.^[5] 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."^[6]

• 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

Southeast Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Miami Heat	52	30	.634	-	31–10	21–20	13–3
x-Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	10	27–14	15–26	8–8
Orlando Magic	36	46	.439	16	26–15	10–31	9–7
Charlotte Bobcats	26	56	.317	26	17–24	9–32	5–11
Atlanta Hawks	26	56	.317	26	18–23	8–33	5–11

Game log

2005–06 game log
November: 9–6 (Home: 7–2; Road: 2–4) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 November 2 @ Memphis W 97–78 Antoine Walker (25) Antoine Walker (16) Dwyane Wade (6) FedEx Forum 1-0 2 November 3 Indiana L 102–105 Dwyane Wade (31) Udonis Haslem (8) Dwyane Wade (10) American Airlines Arena 1-1 3 November 5 @ Millwaukee L 100–105 Dwyane Wade (21) Alonzo Mourning (12) Dwyane Wade (9) Bradley Center 1-2 4 November 7 New Jersey W 90–89 Dwyane Wade (23) Alonzo Mourning (11) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena 2-2 5 November 9 @ Indiana L 90–95 Dwyane Wade (29) Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem (11) Dwyane Wade (6) Conseco Fieldhouse 2-3 6 November 10 Houston W 88–84 Dwyane Wade (25) Alonzo Mourning (9) Dwyane Wade (7) American Airlines Arena 3-3 7 November 12 Charlotte W 108–99 Jason Williams (22) Udonis Haslem (11) Jason Williams, Dwyane Wade (7) American Airlines Arena 4-3 8 November 15 New Orleans/Oklahoma City W 109–102 Dwyane Wade (25) Alonzo Mourning (11) Dwyane Wade (10) American Airlines Arena 5-3 9 November 18 Philadelphia W 106–96 Dwyane Wade (32) Udonis Haslem (12) Dwyane Wade (10) American Airlines Arena 6-3 10 November 20 @ Toronto L 94–107 Dwyane Wade (33) Dwyane Wade (8) Dwyane Wade (9) Air Canada Centre 6-4 11 November 23 Portland W 100–79 Dwyane Wade (19) Dwyane Wade (11) Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams, Antoine Walker (4) American Airlines Arena 7-4 12 November 25 Dallas L 90–103 Jason Williams (24) Udonis Haslem (8) Jason Williams (5) American Airlines Arena 7-5 13 November 26 @ Orlando L 77–80 Dwyane Wade (21) Alonzo Mourning (21) Dwyane Wade (4) TD Waterhouse Centre 7-6 14 November 28 New York W 107–94 Dwyane Wade (33) Udonis Haslem (12) Jason Williams (6) American Airlines Arena 8-6 15 November 30 @ Atlanta W 96–74 Jason Williams (21) Alonzo Mourning (12) Jason Williams (9) Philips Arena 9-6
December: 9–7 (Home: 4–2; Road: 5–5) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 16 December 2 @ Sacramento W 98–87 Dwyane Wade (27) Udonis Haslem (8) Jason Williams (8) ARCO Arena 10-6 17 December 3 @ Denver L 99–101 Dwyane Wade (32) James Posey (10) Dwyane Wade (6) Pepsi Center 10-7 18 December 5 @ L.A. Clippers L 89–99 Dwyane Wade (29) Alonzo Mourning (12) Jason Williams (9) Staples Center 10-8 19 December 7 @ San Antonio L 84–98 Dwyane Wade (31) Alonzo Mourning (7) Dwyane Wade (10) SBC Center 10-9 20 December 9 Denver L 92–100 Dwyane Wade (37) Dwyane Wade (10) Antoine Walker (5) American Airlines Arena 10-10 21 December 11 Washington W 104–101 Dwyane Wade (41) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena 11-10 22 December 13 @ Chicago W 100–97 Shaquille O'Neal (30) Alonzo Mourning (12) Dwyane Wade (11) United Center 12-10 23 December 14 @ Milwaukee W 100–83 Dwyane Wade (27) Udonis Haslem (10) Dwyane Wade (7) Bradley Center 13-10 24 December 16 @ Philadelphia W 112–105 Dwyane Wade (32) Shaquille O'Neal (13) Gary Payton (5) Wachovia Center 14-10 25 December 17 @ Cleveland L 107–115 Dwyane Wade (33) Shaquille O'Neal (6) Dwyane Wade, Antoine Walker (7) Quicken Loans Arena 14-11 26 December 20 Atlanta W 111–92 Shaquille O'Neal (28) Shaquille O'Neal (10) Gary Payton (8) American Airlines Arena 15-11 27 December 23 New Jersey L 88–95 Shaquille O'Neal (24) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Dwyane Wade (7) American Airlines Arena 15-12 28 December 25 L.A. Lakers W 97–92 Gary Payton (21) Shaquille O'Neal (17) Dwyane Wade (5) American Airlines Arena 16-12 29 December 27 Millwaukee W 109–98 Dwyane Wade (35) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams (7) American Airlines Arena 17-12 30 December 29 @ Detroit L 101–106 Dwyane Wade (33) Udonis Haslem (10) Dwyane Wade (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills 17-13 31 December 30 @ Washington W 128–113 Dwyane Wade (34) Antoine Walker (13) Gary Payton (7) MCI Center 18-13
January: 10–5 (Home: 4–2; Road: 6–3) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 32 January 1 Minnesota W 97–70 Dwyane Wade (19) Alonzo Mourning (10) Dwyane Wade (9) American Airlines Arena 19-13 33 January 4 @ New Orleans/Oklahoma City L 92–107 Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade (19) Dwyane Wade (10) Dwyane Wade (10) Ford Center 19-14 34 January 6 @ Phoenix L 93–111 Antoine Walker (22) Shaquille O'Neal (13) Gerald Fitch (6) America West Arena 19-15 35 January 8 @ Portland W 118–89 Dwyane Wade (31) James Posey (9) Jason Williams (8) Rose Garden 20-15 36 January 11 @ Golden State W 110–96 Dwyane Wade (32) Udonis Haslem, Shaquille O'Neal (10) Dwyane Wade (11) The Arena in Oakland 21-15 37 January 13 @ Seattle W 117–104 James Posey, Jason Williams (19) Dwyane Wade (10) Dwyane Wade (14) KeyArena 22-15 38 January 14 @ Utah W 100–94 Dwyane Wade (31) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Dwyane Wade (8) Delta Center 23-15 39 January 16 @ L.A. Lakers L 92–100 Dwyane Wade (34) Udonis Haslem (12) Dwyane Wade (7) Staples Center 23-16 40 January 20 San Antonio L 94–101 Dwyane Wade (36) James Posey, Antoine Walker (7) Udonis Haslem, Jason Williams (3) American Airlines Arena 23-17 41 January 22 Sacramento W 119–99 Shaquille O'Neal (27) Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, Shaquille O'Neal (6) Jason Williams (11) American Airlines Arena 24-17 42 January 24 Memphis W 94–82 Dwyane Wade (25) Shaquille O'Neal (15) Jason Williams (6) American Airlines Arena 25-17 43 January 26 Phoenix L 98–107 Dwyane Wade (25) Shaquille O'Neal (12) Gary Payton (8) American Airlines Arena 25-18 44 January 27 @ Charlotte W 91–85 Shaquille O'Neal (23) Gerald Fitch (8) Gary Payton (8) Charlotte Arena 26-18 45 January 29 @ Houston W 101–95 Dwyane Wade (32) Shaquille O'Neal (14) Dwyane Wade (9) Toyota Center 27-18 46 January 30 L.A. Clippers W 118–114 Dwyane Wade (28) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Dwyane Wade (11) American Airlines Arena 28-18
February: 8–2 (Home: 6–0; Road: 2–2) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 47 February 2 Cleveland W 101–73 Dwyane Wade (24) James Posey (10) Jason Williams (8) American Airlines Arena 29-18 48 February 4 @ New Jersey L 92–105 Dwyane Wade (31) James Posey, Shaquille O'Neal (7) Jason Williams (7) Continental Airlines Arena 29-19 49 February 6 Boston W 114–98 Dwyane Wade (34) Dwyane Wade (8) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena 30-19 50 February 9 @ Dallas L 76–112 Shaquille O'Neal (23) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Center 30-20 51 February 12 Detroit W 100–98 Dwyane Wade (37) Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal (8) Jason Williams (5) American Airlines Arena 31-20 52 February 14 Orlando W 107–93 Dwyane Wade (38) Udonis Haslem (14) Jason Williams (4) American Airlines Arena 32-20 53 February 15 @ Orlando W 110–100 Dwyane Wade (36) Udonis Haslem (12) Dwyane Wade (9) TD Waterhouse Centre 33-20 54 February 22 @ New York W 103–83 Jason Williams, Dwyane Wade (24) Udonis Haslem (8) Jason Williams, Dwyane Wade (5) Madison Square Garden 34-20 55 February 25 Seattle W 115–106 Shaquille O'Neal (31) Antoine Walker, Shaquille O'Neal (9) Dwyane Wade (11) American Airlines Arena 35-20 56 February 27 Toronto W 101–94 Dwyane Wade (32) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena 36-20
March: 12–3 (Home: 7–1; Road: 5–2) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 57 March 1 @ Boston W 103–96 Dwyane Wade (24) Shaquille O'Neal (9) Jason Williams (9) FleetCenter 37-20 58 March 4 Atlanta W 95–83 Shaquille O'Neal (21) Shaquille O'Neal (8) Jason Williams (7) American Airlines Arena 38-20 59 March 6 @ Charlotte W 106–105 Shaquille O'Neal (35) Udonis Haslem (13) Jason Williams (5) Charlotte Arena 39-20 60 March 8 Washington W 118–112 Dwyane Wade (40) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams (5) American Airlines Arena 40-20 61 March 10 Golden State L 106–111 Dwyane Wade (42) Shaquille O'Neal (15) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena 40-21 62 March 12 Cleveland W 98–92 Dwyane Wade (35) Dwyane Wade (9) Dwyane Wade (7) American Airlines Arena 41-21 63 March 14 Atlanta W 121–83 Dwyane Wade (25) Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem, Shaquille O'Neal (7) Jason Williams (7) American Airlines Arena 42-21 64 March 16 Boston W 107–104 Dwyane Wade (30) Udonis Haslem, Shaquille O'Neal (11) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena 43-21 65 March 18 @ Chicago W 85–84 Dwyane Wade (15) Udonis Haslem (11) Jason Williams (5) United Center 44-21 66 March 19 @ New York W 111–100 Dwyane Wade (30) Udonis Haslem (7) Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams (9) Madison Square Garden 45-21 67 March 21 @ Minnesota L 96–100 Dwyane Wade (35) Alonzo Mourning (12) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena 45-22 68 March 22 @ Detroit L 73–82 Shaquille O'Neal (27) Udonis Haslem (12) Dwyane Wade (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills 45-23 69 March 24 Charlotte W 114–93 Dwyane Wade (24) Shaquille O'Neal (9) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena 46-23 70 March 27 Indiana W 96–91 Shaquille O'Neal (23) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Dwyane Wade (5) American Airlines Arena 47-23 71 March 29 @ Toronto W 98–94 Dwyane Wade (37) Antoine Walker (10) Shandon Anderson (4) Air Canada Centre 48-23
April: 4–7 (Home: 3–3; Road: 1–4) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 72 April 1 @ Cleveland L 99–106 Dwyane Wade (44) Udonis Haslem (11) Dwyane Wade (9) Gund Arena 48-24 73 April 2 @ New Jersey L 78–90 Dwyane Wade (32) Udonis Haslem (11) Gary Payton (7) Continental Airlines Arena 48-25 74 April 4 Milwaukee W 115–89 Shaquille O'Neal (24) Shaquille O'Neal (10) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena 49-25 75 April 6 Detroit L 82–95 Dwyane Wade (29) Dwyane Wade (9) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena 49-26 76 April 8 @ Washington W 99–86 Shaquille O'Neal (27) Udonis Haslem (14) Gary Payton, Dwyane Wade (8) MCI Center 50-26 77 April 9 Orlando L 84–93 Dwyane Wade (27) Shaquille O'Neal (9) Dwyane Wade (7) American Airlines Arena 50-27 78 April 11 Toronto W 106–97 Antoine Walker (32) Shaquille O'Neal (11) Shaquille O'Neal (10) American Airlines Arena 51-27 79 April 14 Philadelphia W 104–85 Udonis Haslem (24) Udonis Haslem (14) Dwyane Wade (8) American Airlines Arena 52-27 80 April 16 Chicago L 93–117 Antoine Walker (22) Shaquille O'Neal (6) Derek Anderson, Jason Williams (3) American Airlines Arena 52-28 81 April 18 @ Atlanta L 100–103 Dorell Wright (19) Dorell Wright (7) Jason Kapono (6) Philips Arena 52-29 82 April 19 @ Boston L 78–85 Dorell Wright (20) Udonis Haslem (8) Derek Anderson (4) TD Garden 52-30
2005–06 season schedule

Player stats

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Derek Anderson*	23	3	20.2	.308	.313	.842	2.6	2.1	.35	.09	5.8
Shandon Anderson	48	1	13.3	.429	.263	.722	1.7	.6	.35	.13	2.6
Earl Barron	8	0	5.6	.313	.000	.750	1.3	.0	.00	.00	1.6
Michael Doleac	31	3	12.0	.420	.000	.800	2.7	.3	.32	.23	3.2
Udonis Haslem	81	80	30.8	.508	.000	.789	7.8	1.2	.62	.21	9.3
Jason Kapono	51	2	13.0	.446	.396	.848	1.4	.7	.14	.06	4.1
Alonzo Mourning	65	20	20.0	.597	.000	.594	5.5	.2	.20	2.66	7.8
Shaquille O'Neal	59	58	30.6	.600	.000	.469	9.2	1.9	.39	1.76	20.0
Gary Payton	81	25	28.5	.420	.287	.794	2.9	3.2	.88	.12	7.7
James Posey	67	63	28.6	.403	.403	.787	4.8	1.3	.81	.30	7.2
Wayne Simien	43	2	9.6	.483	.000	.882	2.0	.2	.30	.02	3.4
Dwyane Wade	75	75	38.6	.495	.171	.783	5.7	6.7	1.95	.77	27.2
Antoine Walker	82	19	26.8	.435	.358	.628	5.1	2.0	.57	.37	12.2
Matt Walsh	2	0	1.5	1.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.00	.00	1.0
Jason Williams	59	56	31.8	.442	.372	.867	2.4	4.9	.90	.08	12.3
Dorell Wright	20	2	6.6	.465	.500	.882	1.6	.4	.15	.05	2.9

* Statistics include only games with the Heat

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Derek Anderson*	8	0	8.3	.300	.357	.875	1.1	.6	.25	.00	3.0
Shandon Anderson	13	0	6.9	.308	.333	.667	.9	.3	.00	.08	1.0
Michael Doleac	8	0	9.0	.538	.000	1.000	2.8	.0	.13	.00	2.0
Udonis Haslem	22	22	29.5	.493	.000	.683	7.4	.8	.59	.32	8.6
Jason Kapono	1	0	2.0	.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.00	.00	.0
Alonzo Mourning	21	0	10.8	.703	.000	.667	2.9	.1	.24	1.14	3.8
Shaquille O'Neal	23	23	33.0	.612	.000	.374	9.8	1.7	.48	1.48	18.4
Gary Payton	23	0	24.3	.422	.293	.720	1.7	1.6	1.00	.13	5.8
James Posey	22	1	27.5	.430	.422	.730	5.7	.9	.77	.09	7.3
Wayne Simien	2	0	3.5	.000	.000	.000	.5	.0	.00	.00	.0
Dwyane Wade	23	23	41.7	.497	.378	.808	5.9	5.7	2.22	1.13	28.4
Antoine Walker	23	23	37.5	.403	.324	.574	5.6	2.4	1.00	.35	13.3
Jason Williams	23	23	29.8	.405	.274	.844	2.0	3.9	.65	.00	9.3

* Statistics include only games with the Heat

2006 NBA Playoffs

Heat clinched a 2 seed at the Eastern Conference for the 2006 NBA Playoffs.

2006 playoff game log
First Round: 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–2) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 22 Chicago W 111–106 Dwyane Wade (30) Shaquille O'Neal (16) Dwyane Wade (11) American Airlines Arena 20,288 1–0 2 April 24 Chicago W 115–108 Jason Williams, Shaquille O'Neal (22) Antoine Walker (10) Dwyane Wade (7) American Airlines Arena 20,214 2–0 3 April 27 @ Chicago L 90–109 Dwyane Wade (26) Udonis Haslem (10) Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams (4) United Center 22,133 2–1 4 April 30 @ Chicago L 87–93 Antoine Walker (21) Udonis Haslem (9) Dwyane Wade (10) United Center 22,361 2-2 5 May 2 Chicago W 92–78 Dwyane Wade (28) Shaquille O'Neal (10) Dwyane Wade (5) American Airlines Arena 20,287 3-2 6 May 4 @ Chicago W 113–96 Shaquille O'Neal (30) Shaquille O'Neal (20) Dwyane Wade (6) United Center 22,584 4-2
Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–0) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 8 New Jersey L 88–100 Dwyane Wade (25) Shaquille O'Neal (10) Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams (3) American Airlines Arena 20,208 0–1 2 May 10 New Jersey W 111–89 Dwyane Wade (31) Udonis Haslem (10) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena 20,227 1–1 3 May 12 @ New Jersey W 103–92 Dwyane Wade (30) James Posey (10) Dwyane Wade (10) Continental Airlines Arena 20,102 2–1 4 May 14 @ New Jersey W 102–92 Dwyane Wade (31) Udonis Haslem (11) Dwyane Wade (8) Continental Airlines Arena 19,474 3-1 5 May 16 New Jersey W 106–105 Antoine Walker (23) Udonis Haslem (10) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Arena 20,255 4-1
Conference Finals: 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–2) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 23 @ Detroit W 91–86 Dwyane Wade (25) Udonis Haslem (9) Dwyane Wade (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 1–0 2 May 25 @ Detroit L 88–92 Dwyane Wade (32) Shaquille O'Neal (17) Dwyane Wade (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 1–1 3 May 27 Detroit W 98–83 Dwyane Wade (35) Shaquille O'Neal (12) Antoine Walker, Dwyane Wade (4) American Airlines Arena 20,245 2–1 4 May 29 Detroit W 89–78 Dwyane Wade (31) Shaquille O'Neal (9) Dwyane Wade (5) American Airlines Arena 20,248 3–1 5 May 31 @ Detroit L 78–91 Dwyane Wade (23) Udonis Haslem (10) Jason Williams (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 3–2 6 June 2 Detroit W 95–78 Shaquille O'Neal (28) Shaquille O'Neal (16) Dwyane Wade (10) American Airlines Arena 20,258 4–2
NBA Finals: 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–2) Game Date Time Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 June 8 @ Dallas L 80–90 Dwyane Wade (28) Udonis Haslem (9) Dwyane Wade (6) American Airlines Center 20,475 0–1 2 June 11 @ Dallas L 85–99 Dwyane Wade (23) Dwyane Wade (8) Gary Payton, Jason Williams (4) American Airlines Center 20,459 0-2 3 June 13 Dallas W 98–96 Dwyane Wade (42) Dwyane Wade (13) Shaquille O'Neal (5) American Airlines Arena 20,145 1-2 4 June 15 Dallas W 98–74 Dwyane Wade (36) Shaquille O'Neal (13) Jason Williams (6) American Airlines Arena 20,145 2-2 5 June 18 Dallas W 101–100 (OT) Dwyane Wade (43) Shaquille O'Neal (12) Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams (4) American Airlines Arena 20,145 3–2 6 June 20 @ Dallas W 95–92 Dwyane Wade (36) Shaquille O'Neal (12) Jason Williams (7) American Airlines Center 20,522 4-2
2006 playoff schedule

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.

June 8 21:00 ET

1

Miami Heat 80, Dallas Mavericks 90
Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 13–23, 24–24, 12–20
Pts: Dwyane Wade 28 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 8 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6		Pts: Jason Terry 32 Rebs: Josh Howard 12 Asts: Nowitzki, Howard 4 each
Dallas leads series, 1–0.

American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,475 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore

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.

ABC

June 11 21:00 ET

2

Miami Heat 85, Dallas Mavericks 99
Scoring by quarter: 17–18, 17–32, 24–32, 27–17
Pts: Dwyane Wade 23 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 8 Asts: Payton, Williams 4 each		Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 26 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 16 Asts: Jason Terry 9
Dallas leads series, 2–0.

American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,459 Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush

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.

ABC

June 13 21:00 ET

3

Dallas Mavericks 96, Miami Heat 98
Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 22–23, 34–16, 19–30
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30 Rebs: Erick Dampier 9 Asts: Jason Terry 5		Pts: Dwyane Wade 42 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 13 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 5
Dallas leads series, 2–1.

AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies

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.

ABC

June 15 21:00 ET

4

Dallas Mavericks 74, Miami Heat 98
Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 19–24, 23–24, 7–20
Pts: Jason Terry 17 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9 Asts: Jerry Stackhouse 4		Pts: Dwyane Wade 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 13 Asts: Jason Williams 6
Miami ties series, 2–2.

AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer

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.^[7]

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.^[8]

ABC

June 18 21:00 ET

5

Dallas Mavericks 100, Miami Heat 101 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 30–19, 20–27, 22–23, Overtime: 7–8
Pts: Jason Terry 35 Rebs: Josh Howard 10 Asts: Marquis Daniels 4		Pts: Dwyane Wade 43 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Wade, Williams 4 each
Miami leads series, 3–2.

AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore

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).

ABC

June 20 21:00 ET

6

Miami Heat 95, Dallas Mavericks 92
Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 26–18, 22–20, 24–24
Pts: Dwyane Wade 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Jason Williams 7		Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 29 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Jason Terry 5
Miami wins series, 4–2.

American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,522 Referees: Dan Crawford, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush

Award winners

O'Neal handing over the championship ball when the NBA Champion Heat visited the White House

• 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

1. Lelinwalla, Mark (September 11, 2015). "'NBA 2K16': All The Classic Teams Announced". Tech Times. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
2. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2006_transactions.html
3. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/powelka01.html
4. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2006_transactions.html
5. "Heat coach Van Gundy resigns; Riley returns". sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
6. O'Neal, S.; MacMullan, J. (2011). Shaq Uncut: My Story. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9781455504428. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
7. usatoday.com, No backcourt violation on winning possession, NBA says, accessed May 5, 2007.
8. espn.com, Cuban fined $250K for actions after Game 5, accessed May 5, 2007.

• Heat on Database Basketball
• Heat on Basketball Reference