The Dallas Mavericks won their only championship in 2011 and will look to add a second during the Luka Doncic era. However, Mark Cuban thinks that if the officiating had been different in 2006, they could have already had one more.
The Mavericks lost to the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals despite taking a 2-0 series lead after the first two games. Miami stormed back to win four in a row and claim the title. Cuban is not complaining, but he did point out something he had observed in his courtside seat.
“Shaq has got it on the block, and he just levels Erick Dampier, pushes them out of the way, and hits two free throws,” said Cuban on the Roommates Show. “Dwyane Wade starts driving to the hoop; every little touch, two shots, two shots. He literally, in multiple games, shot more free throws than our entire team.”
The Heat committed 146 fouls in the six-game series, while the Mavericks were charged with 164. The total comes out to only three more per game, but the more glaring stat is that Miami went to the line 207 times, while Dallas could only get there 155 times. It helps when Shaquille O’Neal is on the team, but the Heat shot more than 25 percent more foul shots.
“I never got fined for it, but the officiating in terms of picking the finals refs, they did it a lot differently back then. It was a lot of who had the most seniority, and that didn’t mean they were the best refs, and it was not a good series for us officiating-wise, but it is what it is,” said Cuban.
The Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals last year, and they added some nice pieces, including Klay Thompson, to try and get over the hump this upcoming season. Cuban is not dwelling on the past and is hopeful the team will soon raise another championship banner.
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