Wade's star status cemented in finals

DALLAS — Shaquille O'Neal has his fourth NBA championship, Pat Riley his fifth as a head coach. As far as the Heat are concerned, the best thing about Miami's first title is that Dwyane Wade delivered it.

These back-and-forth NBA finals saw Riley secure his "showtime" legacy and put the debate over his big gambit to rest. O'Neal came to Miami promising a championship, and the jewelry is on the way.

But if the league and its fans take anything away from Miami's come-from-behind championship, it's this: The time has come for everyone to believe in Wade the way O'Neal did when he guaranteed a Heat title.

"I made that promise because of D-Wade," O'Neal said Tuesday. "I knew he was a special player."

In Dallas, a victory parade was hastily planned after two Mavericks wins. Shortly after the series shifted to the Heat's home court, it was canceled just as quickly.

Because of the 24-year-old Wade, that promenade will take place in South Florida. And now that the rest of the NBA has seen what the Big Forecaster already knew, it may not be the last.

Still, with so many older players on the roster and O'Neal clearly not as dominant as he once was, Riley may have to make some more changes — starting with a decision on if he still wants to be the coach.

As long as Wade is around, that might be all that matters. The Mavs couldn't argue that.

"Give Dallas a lot of credit, this is a good team," Wade said. "They will be back, no question about it. We wanted it, and we took it."

Two summers ago, when it was time for O'Neal to leave Los Angeles and look for a place to win another championship, he focused on two places.

"One of the places was in the same conference and I knew I really wouldn't get traded there," he said. "The other place was Miami, because of D-Wade."

The often-thrilling NBA postseason wrapped up Tuesday night with the Heat beating the Mavericks 95-92 to take the first finals between first-timers in 35 years.

Along the way, Riley earned vindication, Mark Cuban racked up another fine, and veterans Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton had the title that was the only thing missing from their otherwise stellar careers.

All made possible by the NBA's newest superstar.

The Mavericks were the last to see it coming. They double-teamed O'Neal throughout the series and dared Wade to beat them, convinced that his outside shot was unreliable.