Miami nice: Heat holds off Dallas down stretch to win NBA title

DALLAS — Pat Riley first promised it 11 years ago: a Miami Heat victory parade down Biscayne Boulevard. Shaquille O'Neal guaranteed it two summers ago, vowing to add a fourth ring to his big hand in his new city.

And with one tenacious game after another in these NBA finals, Dwyane Wade delivered both.

The Miami Heat are champions for the first time, thanks to two basketball greats who made good on their promises — and the next great one, whose promise seems unlimited.

The man they call "Flash" had 36 points and 10 rebounds in the teeth of a hostile Dallas crowd Tuesday night, capping his magnificent playoffs and the Heat's sizzling four-game comeback by leading Miami past the Mavericks 95-92.

"It's one of the best feelings, next to my wife and my son, that I've ever had in my life," Wade said. "I'm going to live it up!"

The Heat roared back from a two-game deficit to win the NBA finals in six. Wade, the obvious finals MVP, cemented his superstardom with a dominant four-game performance capped by four pressure-packed, final-minute free throws in the building where Miami went down two games to none.

He missed two in the waning seconds, though, giving Dallas a shot. But Jason Terry missed an open look for 3, and Wade grabbed the rebound flinging it into the stands as time expired.

Where there's a Wade, there's a will. His grace added a fifth ring to Riley's finger — third-most among NBA coaches — and the first jewelry in Shaq's collection with no connection to Kobe Bryant.

"The great Pat Riley told me we were going to win today," said O'Neal, who had nine points and 12 rebounds. "I didn't have the best game. But D-Wade's been doing it all year. He's the best player ever."

Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavs, but Dallas couldn't manage the last basket it needed to topple Wade's determination. With their crowd booing every call and seething with every missed opportunity, the Mavs missed their own chance for their first title.

The Heat finished the franchise's 18th season with one of the league's greatest rallies in a finals, and the last period of Game 6 was appropriately gritty.

Miami nursed a narrow lead, taking an 89-85 advantage with 2:36 left on two jumpers by James Posey. Jerry Stackhouse cut it to a point with a 3-pointer in his first game back from suspension, but after Udonis Haslem and Josh Howard traded jumpers, Wade hit two freebies with 26 seconds left.