Shaquille O'Neal promised a Championship to the city of
Miami. Finals MVP Dwyane Wade and company delivered.
Coach Pat Riley , or as Shaq likes to call him, the "prophet,"
declared on June 8th that the Heat would win the title on June
20th. After trailing 2-0 in the series and by double-figures
midway through the 4th quarter of Game 3, it didn't look good
for the Heat, but like a true Champion, Miami responded.
The veterans around Wade, Shaq & Riley stepped up at key
moments.
Gary Payton didn't score much, but the baskets he hit in Gm.
3 and Gm. 5 were clutch. Alonzo Mourning turned the game
around defensively in Gm. 6 with his shot blocking and
rebounding, even adding some scoring too. James Posey hit
two big shots in the final quarter and was a reliable weapon off
the bench with his points and defensive rebound. Speaking of
boards, forwards Udonis Haslem and Antoine Walker weren't
always consistent scoring, though provided pivotal
contributions - mainly on the glass.
The "15 strong" answered the call by winning the final four
games of the series vs. Dallas and bringing the franchise its
first ever NBA Championship.
Hatfield's 2006 NBA Finals Recap - 3 Pages
Hatfield: Game 6 Notes
Game 6 Box Score: Heat 95-92 - Win NBA Championship!
Most Career Playoff Points
Without Winning an NBA Title
Karl
Malone
|
4,761
|
Elgin
Baylor
|
3,623
|
Reggie
Miller
|
2,972
|
Charles
Barkley
|
2,833
|
Patrick
Ewing
|
2,813
|
Best Playoff
Game 7 Records
Most Career Points Without
Winning an NBA Title
Bill Russell
|
10-0
|
Sam Jones
|
9-0
|
Tom
Heinsohn
|
7-0
|
Karl Malone
|
36,928
|
Dominique
Wilkins
|
26,668
|
Alex English
|
25,613
|
Reggie
Miller
|
25,279
|
Patrick
Ewing
|
24,815
|
Most Career Playoff
Coaching Championships
Red
Auerbach
|
9
|
Phil
Jackson
|
9
|
Pat Riley
|
5
|
John
Kundla
|
5
|
Gregg
Popovich
|
4
|
| |
|
The San Antonio Spurs took their place in history on
Thursday night, sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers
and capturing the franchise's fourth Championship
in nine seasons.
Guard Tony Parker became the first European-born
player to win NBA Finals MVP honors, averaging
24.5 points per game in the process. Manu Ginobili
scored 13 of his game-high 27 points in the series'
closeout victory. Tim Duncan, a three-time Finals
MVP, got his fourth ring along with Head Coach
Gregg Popovich. Same for Bruce Bowen, the
undrafted defensive stopper for the Spurs who
clamped down on Cleveland's LeBron James the
entire series. Robert Horry earned his ring #7, the
most among all active NBA players.
Recap: Spurs Sweep Cavs; Claim 4th Title
