Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Mark Cuban watches the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mark Cuban claims Mavericks were robbed of 2006 championship vs. Miami Heat

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Keenan Womack | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 6:10 PM ET

The 2006 NBA Finals were the first time the Dallas Mavericks had ever made it to the championship round, and may be the most controversial title series in NBA history. The Heat won the series in six games after Dallas took a 2-0 lead, leading people to believe negligent – or even fixed – officiating may have played a role.

The alleged theft of the title, which Cuban still claims to this day, echoes on in Mavericks history as one of the great "what-ifs" not just for Dallas fans, but for NBA fans as a whole. Cuban recently reignited the flames for this controversy when he said the following: "I'll take that to my grave that it was stolen from us."

Though the league has made it clear that no foul play was afoot, the claim makes sense on a couple of levels, for those inclined to believe so. The first is that Dwyane Wade, the star of the Miami Heat, shot a Finals record 97 free-throw attempts in six games for an average of over 16 per game. He shot 46 total over the last two games alone, which, even in today's foul-happy league, seems egregious.

Of course, this is Cuban's take, and many have argued that Wade simply made the best of what officials were calling. His relentless attacking of the basket throughout the series made it hard not to give him some attempts, even if it enraged the Mavericks fanbase.

There is Factual Evidence of the 2006 NBA Finals Possibly Being Rigged

The other point that fans will talk about is disgraced referee Tim Donaghy's claim that the NBA wanted to extend the series, which he talked about in a 2017 article. He said the following about the series: "I think basically Dallas got screwed out of a championship in that situation because the NBA started to manipulate the series to make sure it was extended and Dallas could never recover from it."

While seemingly compelling, it is also difficult to trust the word of someone who was convicted of gambling on games he officiated, which Donaghy was in 2007 by a federal court. Considering the details of the situation, it is hard to believe that the Mavericks were, in fact, "fixed" out of a title.

The overwhelming problem with this idea, as well, is the fact that the NBA would never recover if it were discovered it had anything to do with fixing games. It is simply not worth it to the league to try to extend a series unlawfully for ratings purposes.

Despite the evidence to the contrary, this series will haunt Cuban for the rest of his life, according to him.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: