Editing Dallas Mavericks (section)

====2005–2006: First finals appearance====
{{Main|2005–06 Dallas Mavericks season}}
Before the [[2005 NBA draft]], the Mavericks had traded all their picks away and were left empty-handed. On August 15, 2005, veteran guard Michael Finley was waived under the new "Allan Houston Rule."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dallasbasketball.com/morestories.asp?id=3286&NAV=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920153034/http://www.dallasbasketball.com/morestories.asp?id=3286&NAV=1 |url-status=dead |title=Dallas Mavericks NBA Basketball |archive-date=September 20, 2014 |website=DallasBasketball.com}}</ref> Under that rule, the [[Orlando Magic]] waived [[Doug Christie]], who then signed with the Mavericks. On August 19, the Mavericks held a press conference announcing they had re-signed [[Darrell Armstrong]] and introduced Christie, [[DeSagana Diop]], [[Rawle Marshall]], and [[Josh Powell]] as new Mavericks. Christie's playing time was minimal amid a surgically repaired ankle still hampering his play. He was waived on November 25, 2005. At the end of calendar 2005, Nowitzki achieved a rare double by winning both the Euroscar and [[Mr. Europa]], a second prestigious award for the top European player. He additionally was named the inaugural [[FIBA Europe Player of the Year]].

Up until the very end of the season, the Mavericks were toe-to-toe with the [[San Antonio Spurs]] for the crown of the Southwest Division and the #1 spot in the Western Conference. However, they fell short of the title and had to settle for a fourth seed. Nonetheless, they once again achieved a 60–22 record, with [[Avery Johnson]] winning [[NBA Coach of the Year]] honors. They swept the [[Memphis Grizzlies]] in the [[2006 NBA playoffs|2006 playoffs]], leading to a titanic series against their state rivals and the reigning NBA champions the San Antonio Spurs. Five out of the seven games were decided in the last minute, including a Game 7 that had to go into overtime, with the Mavs prevailing under the guidance of [[Dirk Nowitzki]] and an incredibly deep bench. The Mavericks were able to advance to the conference finals against former teammate [[Steve Nash]] and the [[Phoenix Suns]]. The Mavs' defense and depth enabled them to take the series as they defeated the [[Phoenix Suns]] in game 6 of the Western Conference finals on June 3, 2006, in the [[US Airways Center]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], and the Mavs advanced to their first NBA Finals in franchise history.

{{Main|2006 NBA Finals}}
In the NBA Finals, the Mavericks faced the [[2005–06 Miami Heat season|Miami Heat]], held the home-court advantage, and scored two convincing wins. After game 2, Dallas city officials had already planned the victory parade. However, in Game 3, the Mavs blew a late double-digit lead, courtesy of Heat guard [[Dwyane Wade]]. He carried the Heat to the win, with Nowitzki missing a potentially game-tying free throw in the last seconds. After getting blown out in Game 4, the Mavericks suffered another loss in Game 5 when Wade scored the game-tying basket in the final possession of regular time, putting the Heat ahead with last-second free throws in overtime. The [[tragic flaw|tragic figure]] was [[Josh Howard]], who missed a pair of clutch free throws in overtime and mistakenly called an early timeout, so the Mavs had to bring in the ball at backcourt rather than half-court for the last possession. In Game 6, the Mavericks took an early double-digit lead, but again, Wade poured in 36 points, helped by [[Alonzo Mourning]]'s five blocked shots, and the Mavericks lost their fourth game and the title after a string of botched three-pointers. Many Mavericks fans were stunned by the defeat. Mavericks owner [[Mark Cuban]] was fined a total of $250,000 for "several acts of misconduct" during the series, and Nowitzki was fined $5,000 for kicking a ball into the stands after Game 5. Nowitzki was also caught by TV cameras attacking a stationary bicycle in the hallway outside of the Mavericks locker room. [[Jerry Stackhouse]] was suspended for Game 5 after fouling [[Shaquille O'Neal]] on a breakaway dunk attempt. The latter marked the third time a Mavericks player was suspended in the 2006 playoffs.

The Mavericks became only the third team in NBA history (the first since 1977) to lose in the finals after taking a 2–0 lead. In Game 3, the Mavs held a 13-point lead under seven minutes remaining but were outscored 22–7 in the momentum-changing 98–96 defeat. The Heat's performance in the last seven minutes represented the team's most remarkable postseason comeback in team history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Friedman |first=Brad |title=NBA.com: A Total Turnaround |url=http://www.nba.com/finals2006/heat_060620.html |publisher=National Basketball Association |date=June 20, 2006 |access-date=August 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017120059/http://www.nba.com/finals2006/heat_060620.html |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>