The Dallas Mavericks earned a championship in 2011, which was a major moment for the franchise.
But as great as that accomplishment was, a stinging defeat from a few years before still hurts.
Mark Cuban recently shed light on the Mavericks’ loss in the 2006 NBA Finals.
It’s very clear that he is still upset about losing to the Miami Heat.
“I’ll take that to my grave that it was stolen from us,” Cuban said.
“I’ll take that to my grave that it was stolen from us.”
– Mark Cuban on the 2006 Finals
(Via @DLLS_Mavs / h/t @MavsFilmRoom ) pic.twitter.com/FcOcGXxjTG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 26, 2025
The Mavericks looked unstoppable for most of the playoffs in 2006.
They first beat the Memphis Grizzlies with ease, and then took down the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns.
The Mavericks were then just four wins away from taking home their first championship.
But the Miami Heat had other plans, and they eventually beat them 4-2.
Cuban and many Mavericks fans are still upset about this loss, partly because they feel that the refs favored the Heat and didn’t give Dallas a fair shake.
Whatever the reason, Dirk Nowitzki and his team came up short, but they had better luck a few years later.
They were ready for revenge when they faced the Heat again in the 2010-11 Finals.
They got every bit of that revenge and won their first title.
But even though they won, Cuban doesn’t forget how his team was treated in 2006.
This era is still considered the greatest for the Mavericks and will be talked about for years to come.
Even now, as the future looks bright again for Dallas, fans still fondly remember when they won in 2011 – and regret how it all went wrong in the Finals of 2006.
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