Tim Tszyu and Errol Spence Jr. need each other to continue the next chapter of their careers

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Tim Tszyu and Errol Spence Jr. are on a quest for a boxing resurrection and their long-awaited encounter is on July 25 in Sydney. They’ll be fighting at middleweight (catchweight at 158 pounds) and the former is the only one with experience in the division. 

 

Tszyu, the Sydney native, retired on his stool against Sebastian Fundora after seven rounds of their second fight on July 19, 2025, and has gone on to win two 10-round contests by unanimous decision versus lower-level competition. His trainer in his last two has been Pedro Diaz, and it had previously been Igor Goloubev before him.

 

Defense has never been Tszyu’s strong suit and one of his habits has been admiring his work without getting out of the way. Even with how he lost to Fundora, only a fool would question his heart, yet his body is another story. 

 

Tszyu fought Fundora the first time in March 2024, with his WBO super welterweight belt on the line, and the vacant WBC title was up for grabs. He was looking sharp through two rounds against the man eight-and-a-half inches taller than him, yet an accidental elbow opened a gash over his hairline that leaked crimson the rest of the fight. Tszyu still left Fundora’s nose gushing, which made it one of the goriest fades one will ever see but lost on the cards and probably a piece of himself, too. 

 

He instantly stepped into a tough fight against Bakhram Murtazaliev nearly seven months later and was wiped out in three rounds. He’s 3-1 since. 

 

Spence has not fought since Terence Crawford stopped him in nine rounds for the undisputed welterweight titles in late July 2023. Before that night, he held the IBF, WBC and WBA straps and was trained by Derrick James. He’s now working with Ronnie Shields, yet it’s unclear how much of his heart is still in the game, despite vowing to show “a better, more improved” version of himself. 

 

At the presser on May 2, Spence said the day came when he woke up and wanted to come back, and that he wanted Tszyu because he doesn’t take tune-up fights. Tszyu countered that it isn’t recommended to go straight into the firing line. 

 

When speaking about the camp for the Crawford fight in an interview with former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion, Andre Ward, Spence said that he didn’t have quality sparring partners and was mainly working on the pads with James plus got zero time with southpaws. James’ side of the story is that Spence’s father ordered no more sparring after his son was hurt, which James said he didn’t see when it happened. 

 

Enough has come out from James and Spence to know they had a rinky-dink camp for the biggest night of their lives. Still, it was Spence’s responsibility to say something if a problem occurred and him not doing so perhaps indicated that the purse overshadowed legacy. It’s hardly a knock on a fighter to say they battled for the loot, but Spence’s legacy was dented by how he looked against Crawford, which had some to do with his preparation. 

 

Spence would have still lost him if he had a perfect camp, but who knows if he would have caught a ferocious battering or maybe been the one to stop Crawford’s streak of knockouts with a decision on the cards. Keep in mind that he was Crawford’s last KO. 

 

More questions surrounding Spence are how much punch resistance is left and how much ring rust should be expected? Tszyu is not a natural middleweight, yet his artillery is highly threatening to a former welterweight (147 pounds). Sparring with headgear and bigger gloves can only keep a fighter so sharp.  

 

Tszyu said it would be a “cracking fight,” and Spence said he’s going to deliver the upset. Both of them need each other to climb out of purgatory.



Jaron “Boots” Ennis shows more respect to Xander Zayas

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The shockwaves of Jaron “Boots’ Ennis’ victory over Xander Zayas to become unified, super welterweight champion, are still being felt across the boxing world. Boots is a man in high demand for interviews and for opponents looking to get a shot at a title with a big payday.

 

He spoke on The Ariel Helwani Show and refused to say Zayas quit. Instead, he saw it as him beating the fight out of Zayas, his highest-rated opponent who has the same reach (74 inches). Previously, three of Ennis’ top wins came against Sergey Lipinets, Eimantas Stanionis and David Avanesyan — fighters with a seven, six and five-inch reach disadvantage. His speed against Zayas was the equalizer as he evaded most of his big shots, save for the third round, which was a glorious firefight. 

 

In the interview, Helwani speculated that comments about Zayas quitting were about not wanting to give Ennis credit. He may be right, and Ennis said that it’s normal for fighters to look at the corner after a knockdown for instructions, which it appears is what Zayas did in round seven before the match was called off. 

 

The new unified champ doesn’t think he’ll get credit until he’s retired, but hopefully, he’s wrong about that. He might be Terence Crawford’s real successor, and it would be a shame if he was just a heralded name in the boxing world until the end of his career in which he goes mainstream, like Crawford did.

 

Just imagine how much more weight Crawford’s name would carry if his prime was in the ‘70s and ‘80s. And unfortunately, for Ennis, it’s harder for a top-level guy to distinguish himself if the best aren’t always fighting each other. This era isn’t close to past generations, but maybe some pugilists out there will dare to be great like Zayas and Ennis did.  

 

Before the big fight at Barclays Center, Ennis didn’t have the favorable side of the purse split, but now with two of the four belts at the division, he calls the shots(WBA and WBO). The other champs are Sebastian Fundora (WBC) and Josh Kelly (IBF), yet, Vergil Ortiz, who he was supposed to fight before Zayas, is the interim champ for the WBC. The fight with Ennis and Ortiz was never made because of an internal business mess with Ortiz and his representatives, which ended up in court. 

 

While Ortiz has been on the sidelines, his reputation has stayed neutral after wiping out Erickson Lubin in two rounds on Nov. 8, while Ennis’ has sky-rocketed to the most exciting boxer in the sport.  There’s a good clash with either of the three guys against him, but the best one is arguable between Ortiz and Fundora.

 

Ortiz is the hardest hitter of the three, and one wonders how Ennis would react to his punches if it turned into a brawl like round three against Zayas. Yet, maybe Ennis is skilled enough to keep it surgical off the back foot until he wounds him.

 

Fundora is a wicked puzzle, standing at 6’ 5, and with a six-inch reach advantage over Enis. Fundora has been less of a brawler as of late, and if he attacks, loading up on his jab, it’s a nightmarish fight for anyone because of the mismatch. The only way to beat Towering Inferno is by getting inside on him and landing something cruel, like Brian Mendoza did.

 

At his post-fight presser in Brooklyn in the early morning hours of June 28, Ennis was asked about fighting Fundora. He said, “Bring ‘em all,” regarding all the names at 154 pounds. If that doesn’t happen, then the public loses.



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The trade is official and now Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis are members of the Miami Heat

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis are a part of the Miami Heat and now the trade is official. Giannis will ear #7 in Miami, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, and will start his 14th season in October. Portis will be starting his 12th.

 

After Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Antetokounmpo is the greatest Buck in team history His goodbye post was clips of his time in Milwaukee with a voiceover of him talking about the team and people of the city. In it, he said he hoped he represented the city the best he could. 

 

It was a classy gesture after the drama-filled season in which relationships soured. He only played in 36 games, and logged the second-lowest minutes of his career, but he is arriving in Miami a better player than Shaquille O’Neal was when he got there in 2004.

 

In Miami, Antetokounmpo will play for the best coach he’s ever had in Erik Spoelstra, and Bam Adebayo is the best defender he’s been with aside from Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez.

 

Heat president Pat Riley said through a team post, “The announcement of today’s trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. is one of the great trades in HEAT history. In my opinion, Giannis is one of the top five players in the league and Bobby is one of the best power forwards. The difficult part is trading Tyler, Kasparas, Jaime and Kel’el who have given so much to this organization, we wish them nothing but the best. I also want to thank the Arison’s for their continued pursuit towards winning a championship and we feel this gives us a better opportunity moving forward. I want to welcome Giannis and Bobby to the Miami HEAT family.”

 

Media day in Miami should be packed now that the national brigade has a reason to come back, and perhaps it will be close to the level the Big Three got.  They won’t be as good, but they should win between 49 and 53 games this season and secure a top-three seed, snapping their streak of four Play-In Tournament appearances. 

 

The team still needs some extra playmakers and shooting around Antetokounmpo, but they should be fine in the short term without it. The defense and rebounding will make up for it. 

 

As for the package traded for Antetokounmpo and Portis, there time in Miami mattered. Kasparas Jakučionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware all have promising futures and are now highly motivated after being shipped off. The best hasn’t of Tyler Herro hasn’t been seen, either.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Norman Powell is signing with the Bulls, and how it affects the Heat

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Norman Powell had a good season with the Miami Heat, blossoming as a first-time All-Star, and now he is officially signing with the Chicago Bulls on a two-year, $45 million deal, per ESPN. The Bulls have not made the playoffs since 2021-22, but perhaps can be a Play-In team in 2026-27. Nonetheless, they should be fun to watch.

 

There was interest in keeping Powell even before the team traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he made the financially wise choice of cashing out. At age 33, he may not have more opportunities to do that.

 

For a good chunk of the first half of 2025-26, Powell was the team’s best player, and working in the fastest offense in the league played to his strengths. He’s a good shooter off the catch and effective on catch-and-go moves, making him a fine piece in any system at either speed.

 

 His impact lessened towards the end of the season, as he was always dealing with something, but he valiantly pushed through it, even with it being foolish sometimes. His time in Miami mattered because he was a weapon and was the source of offense for a while. He had six games logging at least 30 points and 17 nights with a minimum of four trifectas.

 

Powell, who is already a champion (2019), will be a valuable addition to a locker room with talented youngsters. In Miami, he also gave financial advice to Kel’el Ware, and he’ll probably do the same for others in Chicago. 

 

For the Heat, this means that Pelle Larsson is the new likely starter next Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Larsson will need to be a threat to hit open 3-pointers so the team can punish opponents when overloading the lane, and needs to keep working on creating his own shot. Notably, in 2025-26, 14.2 percent less of his two-pointers were assisted, and he nearly tripled his assist average (3.4). It would be ideal if that trend continues because the team is short on playmakers outside of Antetokounmpo, Mitchell and Dru Smith.

 

Tim Hardaway Jr., who the Heat just signed and was third in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season, could be an option to start, but he is a streaky 3-point shooter and an inferior defender to Larsson.  It’s best for the team to have more options in the starting lineup to contain the point-of-attack, and Larsson fits that bill, more so than Powell, too.

 

Still, it’s too much to expect of Larsson to replace Powell’s production by himself. It will have to be done by committee.

 



Mets Continue Trend of Signing Former Marlins

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Once again, the Miami Marlins trash becomes the New York Mets’ treasure.

Shortly after being released by the Marlins, the Mets have agreed to a minor league deal with infielder Christopher Morel, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. He will head to Triple-A Syracuse in hopes of finding his swing.

Morel reportedly has multiple opt-out dates available on the new contract, the first of which is July 15, reports ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. Such opt-outs are common on minor league deals for veteran players of this nature.

Morel, who recently turned 27, slashed .162/.219/.206 line with a 38.4% strikeout rate during his short time with the Marlins, who signed him to a $2 million contract over the offseason.

The Mets continue the trend of signing former Marlins players shortly after being let go by the team. The Mets recently brought in Austin Slater, who went 5-for-20 in nine games before moving onto the Tampa Bay Rays for seven more games.

The Mets are currently relying on former Marlins first baseman Eric Wagaman, who spent his first full season with the Fightin’ Fish last year. Wagaman is currently slashing .192/.276/.423 (5-for-26) with two home runs and four RBI in 17 games with the Mets, who sit last in the National League East.

Wagaman hit nine home runs with 53 RBI and a .250/.296./378 slash line in 140 games for the Marlins last year, including a .640 OPS through the first half. Had Morel produced such stats, he would still be with the Marlins.

The Marlins are still looking for a full time first baseman after Morel and Connor Norby (4 HR, 16 RBI, .638 OPS) didn’t live up to expectations. The current solution may be in Kyle Stowers, who moved from outfield to first base and is putting up an .857 OPS with five home runs and 21 RBI through the month of June.

With a win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, the Marlins will finish the month of June with a MLB-high 20 wins, which would set a franchise record.

Jaron “Boots” Ennis wipes out Xander Zayas, becoming unified champion at 154 pounds

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Jaron “Boot” Ennis is the new top dog at super welterweight, holding the WBA and WBO titles after dispatching Xander Zayas in seven rounds on Saturday. Barclays Center was treated with explosive action from Ben Whitaker and Emiliano Vargas in the two fights leading up the main event and the night was called off when Zayas looked at his corner following his third time knocked down. 

 

Zayas instantly was tagged repeatedly by the jab, and boldly came forward even with the straight left hand hitting his face multiple times. Ennis, the switch-hitting southpaw, softened him up with a right hook followed by a left uppercut to the head, then landed a four punch combo with another straight left on the tail end dropping him in round one. 

 

The difference was the speed, and Zayas legs didn’t come back to him until the third, in what turned into an epic brawl with him causing Ennis to step back three times and knocking his head back with a stiff straight right. They kept trading on the inside with both connecting on cruel body shots.

 

The levy broke when Ennis, having softened him up with bullets downstairs, dropped him a second time, with a  straight left and right uppercut to the head. Zayas ended the round getting abused, and referee Harvey Dock told him he wouldn’t let him take much more of it  between the next interval. 

 

It didn’t take much longer.

 

Another set of dual hooks, followed by unforgiving pressure backing Zayas to the ropes, put him down a third time, and Dock called it off. 

 

At the post-fight presser, Ennis rated Zayas as solid competition and repeated that his young foe would be champion again whether at super welterweight (154) or middleweight (160). Zayas was later taken to the hospital, per Ricardo Celis.

 

When asked about fighting Sebastian Fundora, the WBC super welterweight champion, Ennis said“Bring ‘em all.”

 

None of it was good enough for Vergil Ortiz Jr., who commented on X (formerly Twitter) that, “Yea, I’m sleeping Jaron,” and he also called Zayas a quitter. Ennis’ fight with Ortiz never happened because of an internal, legal mess involving Golden Boy Promotions (Ortiz’s promoter) Ortiz and his manager.

 

Quick takes:

 

The card should not have been pay-per-view, but it delivered for the fans. Not saying that Saul Canelo Álvarez v. Terence Crawford wasn’t a great one-sided, entertaining fight, yet Zayas v. Ennis produced extra fireworks. Fights like Saturday’s happen when someone like Zayas reaches for the stars, and boxing needs more of it from guys in their prime or approaching it. 

 

In the lead up to the main event, my colleague Bryan Fonseca interviewed chairman of Matchroom Sport, Eddie Hearn, and the promoter compared the upcoming result with how Floyd Mayweather outclassed Canelo. It wasn’t meant to be a comparison in fight styles, but it was a great call, and like Canelo almost 13 years ago, Zayas was one-or-two levels below. 

 

Going forward, the fight the public needs to see from Ennis is the long-awaited one with Ortiz, who has never been champion, yet holds the WBC interim strap. Ennis’ smooth and powerful style of boxing or brawling would make for fantastic matchup against Ortiz’s savagery.

 

 

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: See ya later, Tyler Herro

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Seven seasons went by in a flash and a player staying in one spot for that long is more than most do. Tyler Herro rose from a late lottery pick in 2019 to an All-Star in 2024-25, and did all he could in the Miami Heat’s transitional stage. Being limited to 33 outings last season derailed any chance he had of a follow up.

 

Now he’s gone to the Milwaukee Bucks in the swap for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it’s unclear if they’ll flip him or he will stay there. He would be a big help to them, but he would be more so for the Detroit Pistons because they need another shot creator around Cade Cunningham.

 

Herro is not a perfect player, but he has become underrated, in part because he was not healthy for the team’s 2023 Finals run after breaking his hand in Game 1 of the playoffs. He could do damage with the right 1A player next to him. Perhaps he can take his game to another level if he gets significantly stronger.

 

His time in Miami should be remembered for being a very good regular-season player and a heck of a professional, who always wanted to compete, and wisely weighed the risks when it came to playing through pain. Never forget that before Jimmy Butler was traded to Golden State, Herro was playing at a higher level than Stephen Curry. Of course, maintaining that level was not going to happen, and Curry picked up his game, but it showed that Herro had come a long way from being Sixth Man of the Year in 2021-22.

 

His most impactful playoff run with the team was his rookie season, and his best moment in a Heat uniform was scoring 37 points on 66.7 percent shooting off the bench, helping them take a 3-1 lead in the conference Finals over the Boston Celtics. He didn’t play well and got hurt in the 2022 postseason, and was exposed defensively in the 2024 and 2025 playoffs.

 

Still, someone like Herro will be motivated by getting shipped out of Miami, and will want to punish the Heat for it in future meetings. Don’t be surprised if he becomes the best revenge story against the Heat since Jamal Mashburn led the Charlotte Hornets in scoring when they swept Miami in 2001.

Herro’s best is yet to come.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: See ya later, Tyler Herro

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Seven seasons went by in a flash and a player staying in one spot for that long is more than most do. Tyler Herro rose from a late lottery pick in 2019 to an All-Star in 2024-25, and did all he could in the Miami Heat’s transitional stage. Being limited to 33 outings last season derailed any chance he had of a follow up.

 

Now he’s gone to the Milwaukee Bucks in the swap for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it’s unclear if they’ll flip him or he will stay there. He would be a big help to them, but he would be more so for the Detroit Pistons because they need another shot creator around Cade Cunningham.

 

Herro is not a perfect player, but he has become underrated, in part because he was not healthy for the team’s 2023 Finals run after breaking his hand in Game 1 of the playoffs. He could do damage with the right 1A player next to him. Perhaps he can take his game to another level if he gets significantly stronger.

 

His time in Miami should be remembered for being a very good regular-season player and a heck of a professional, who always wanted to compete, and wisely weighed the risks when it came to playing through pain. Never forget that before Jimmy Butler was traded to Golden State, Herro was playing at a higher level than Stephen Curry. Of course, maintaining that level was not going to happen, and Curry picked up his game, but it showed that Herro had come a long way from being Sixth Man of the Year in 2021-22.

 

His most impactful playoff run with the team was his rookie season, and his best moment in a Heat uniform was scoring 37 points on 66.7 percent shooting off the bench, helping them take a 3-1 lead in the conference Finals over the Boston Celtics. He didn’t play well and got hurt in the 2022 postseason, and was exposed defensively in the 2024 and 2025 playoffs.

 

Still, someone like Herro will be motivated by getting shipped out of Miami, and will want to punish the Heat for it in future meetings. Don’t be surprised if he becomes the best revenge story against the Heat since Jamal Mashburn led the Charlotte Hornets in scoring when they swept Miami in 2001.

Herro’s best is yet to come.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The harpoon brought in Giannis Antetokounmpo

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The Heat went from irrelevancy to Eastern contention now that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded to Miami. It took parting with some quality goods, which included Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, three first-round picks, one pick swap and a second-round pick. But it needed to be done after four-straight years in the Play-In Tournament and being without a star after banishing Jimmy Butler, who quit on the team. 

 

Had there been no deal, building through the three first-round picks would have required more luck than there was to bring him in. This year’s draft is deep, so more of the higher talents will possibly be available into the late lottery and beyond, yet expecting a top-tier player to fall to the middle in a normal year is unrealistic and that only happens because of poor scouting. The Heat would have been another average team had executive vice president Andy Elisburg’s harpoon missed.

 

 Now that Giannis is a Heatle, coverages will have reel teeth with another long, quick help defender and someone who can play at all spots like Bam Adebayo. Additionally, perhaps the presence created by the new backline will cause their teammates to take fewer gambles when guarding the 3-point line since they trust two defensive players of the highest level to take care of penetration. 

 

The difference on the other side is now they have the guy who can take and make the big shot. Antetokounmpo is a powerhouse going to the cup. He should fit like a glove in the Heat’s fast-paced style the way he glides in transition, too. 

 

Bobby Portis was included by the Bucks, and he could be a big-time player off the bench. One of the lineups that would be nice to experiment with is going triple-big with him plus Adebayo and Antetokounmpo. It wouldn’t be light on playmaking if used with Davion Mitchell, and going big could create advantages on the glass plus another preventing easy access for the opponent into the lane. 

 

Antetokounmpo, who didn’t make a mess publicly, but had become a headache for the Bucks privately, ended up in one of his two preferred destinations. The other team was the Boston Celtics, and it would have been devastating for the Heat had he gone there since this is a real rivalry.

 

After 13 seasons, and turning age 32 on Dec. 6, Antetokounmpo still has at least four elite seasons left. His strength will help him age gracefully as well because he may lose step of speed, but very few will be able to bang with him in the trenches.

 

It’s a special time in Miami — the Heat are back.



The Miami Heat’s ’06 files: The ride for the title

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Every NBA player eventually learns that they cannot underestimate their opponent. It was the Chicago Bulls who taught the Miami Heat that lesson in round one. 

 

The Chicago outfit was an overachieving team with a nice mix of youngsters and veterans who got hot at the end of the regular season, closing with a 12-2 record. 

 

The Heat were an older team, who won the first two playoff games thanks to Dwyane Wade plus Shaquille O’Neal taking over with big-time contributions from the role players in Miami.  Yet both outings were decided by a combined 12 points, and they got too comfortable on their way to Chicago. 

 

They got smoked in Game 3 because of a turnover problem (19), O’Neal downshifted to a role player and the rest of the team left Wade and Jason Williams hanging. That game is also remembered for James Posey blindsiding Kirk Heinrich late in the fourth quarter when Chicago’s lead was out of reach. 

 

Journalist and author Sam Smith of the Jordan Rules: The Inside Story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and Hard Labor: The Battle That Birthed the Billion-Dollar NBA, who now works with the Bulls spoke to Five Reasons Sports Network in August 2025, saying, “Wade saved them basically in Game 5 in the playoffs, but [Heinrich] gave Wade a lot of trouble. He was really tough and physical. Guys didn’t like playing against Kirk…”

 

Posey was subsequently suspended for his dirty play in Game 4. Aside, the problem that night for the Heat was an inability to get to the line and defend without fouling. Yet it became memorable for the angry sideline confrontation between Wade and Gary Payton, exposing the fragile state of the team.

 

Twenty years later, Payton said he took offense with the harshness of Wade‘s instruction, and Wade said he snapped in defense of a teammate. Still, there is agreement between the two that it was a turning point for the team. 

 

Pat Riley had them practicing hard the next day, and they followed up by seizing the next two games by an average of 15.5 points as Wade and O’Neal got back to business. O’Neal particularly, dropped 30 points and 20 rebounds in the closeout Game 6 in Chicago.

 

The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds told Five Reasons Sports Network that despite the Heat losing Game 1 of the next series against the New Jersey Nets, there was no doom and gloom. The team rolled the Nets in the next four as Wade couldn’t be stopped from getting to the line.

 

Then it was the Pistons, who had broken their hearts the previous season. The Heat found themselves ahead 3-2 after a tough series, which was the same position they had in 2005, but Game 6 this time was in Miami.

 

Detroit’s pressure mostly caused Wade to shoot 6-for-15, but O’Neal was unstoppable, scoring 28 points on 85.7 percent shooting with 16 rebounds. Jason Williams helped redeem the team with the game of his life, too, logging 21 points on 10–of-12 attempts.

 

The Finals were then set with the Dallas Mavericks, and notably, former coach Stan Van Gundy declined owner Micky Arison’s invitation to attend. The Mavericks had swept the Memphis Grizzlies, won Game 7 in San Antonio which featured an epic duel between Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, and beat the Phoenix Suns in six games, to get there.

 

Tension also brewed before the Finals started because O’Neal had said Dallas’ Erick Dampier could dominate the WNBA, and referred to him as “Ericka.”

 

The Mavericks doubled teamed O’Neal in Game 1, which they continued to do as the series went on. This gave Wade lots of opportunities, and he started the series shooting 6-of-7 in the first quarter as the Heat took an eight-point lead. They went cold in the second quarter, while flashing some zone on the other side. Then the problems in the second half were missing nine free throws, no one outside of Wade, O’Neal and Antoine Walker could score, and they couldn’t stop Jason Terry’s late heroics.

 

Missed free throws (12) plus turnovers were still biting the Heat in Game 2, and O’Neal, who had the worst Finals performance of his career with five points on just five attempts in 27 minutes, said he was embarrassed with himself. He refused to speak with the press and was fined $10,000.

 

The Heat were going back to Miami down 2-0 and at that point in time, only the 1969 Boston Celtics and 1977 Portland Trail Blazers had recovered from that deficit in the championship round.

 

Riley at practice, boldly circled June 20 as the day the Heat would win the title. Wade and O’Neal were at American Airlines Arena until about 10:30 PM the previous night, working on their stuff, and at one point before Game 3, both of them plus Alonzo Mourning went on a ride at night, talking about what needed to be done.

 

Miami’s first Finals game started with Wade scoring 13 first-quarter points as the Heat took an eight-point lead. Even while leaning on Wade, Riley couldn’t hide his frustration, at one point even wiping his face harshly with a towel as O’Neal committed a foolish foul, sending Dampier to the line.

 

Still, they maintained their edge until halftime, but didn’t start unraveling until the third quarter. They came out soft, undisciplined on defense and turning the ball over, which led to them being outscored by 18 points. 

 

It only got worse as the Heat were down double digits with six minutes left. Going down 3-0 would have been a death sentence, and in what became one of Riley’s finest coaching moments during the huddle, he wrote “season” on his writing pad and showed it to the players. And Wade told his teammates, “I ain’t going out like that.”

 

He then carried the Heat offensively in arguably the finest moment of his career as he backed up his big words, but they also got huge help from Payton, nailing a late jumper with 11 seconds left to give the Heat a two-point lead. Still, it came down to Wade stopping a lob attempt for Josh Howard at the rim to tie.

 

Game 4 was two nights later. Wade picked up where he left off, ripping up schemes, and scoring 14 of the Heat’s 30 first-quarter points. The broadcast caught Dallas’ coach Avery Johnson telling his players during a timeout that Wade was faking being hurt and not to relax.

 

Dallas couldn’t do a thing to stop him, and he didn’t have to slow down until the fourth quarter, only playing a bit more than half of it because the defense strangled actions, and caused four turnovers against the Mavs’ two field goals.

 

In those days, the Finals were a 2-3-2 format, which was put in place during the 1984-85 season. The next game in Miami was three nights later and Wade had another encore, with 43 points. His shooting numbers weren’t as pretty, but he made up for it by binging at the line for 21 freebies. O’Neal had a decent game, pouring in a double-double (18 points and 12 rebounds) on 66.7 percent shooting, too. His passing out of double teams kept helping the them, and keep in mind that Riley had already said he was the best passing big man he ever had, and he had coached the Showtime Lakers that featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

 

Still, controversy has followed this game 20 years later because Wade got to the line with 1.9 seconds left of overtime as the Heat were down a point on marginal contact as he sliced through the lane. He made both and they took a 3-2 lead.

 

Riley, staying true to his proclamation, told the players they were only allowed to bring one suit for one night of their trip despite two games in Dallas. Reynolds inferred in his interview with FRSN that not all members of the Heat’s traveling party followed those instructions.

 

In Game 6, Wade’s jumper started falling towards the end of the first quarter, and the team only led by a point at halftime as Udonis Haslem was the next leading scorer with eight points. Howard had punished their sloppiness with three steals, and Nowitzki was feasting with 17 digits on 66.7 percent shooting.

 

Haslem kept dropping relief points after intermission, and Antoine Walker added 10, taking pressure off Wade, who played all of the second half. He almost had a double-double in that span (17 points and nine rebounds), and recovered one of Dallas’ late turnovers and went two-for-two at the line to seal the deal.

 

As much as he resembled a demigod, the Heat would not have won that game without Mourning. Heat play-by-play broadcaster Eric Reid told FRSN in August 2025 that it “was the most passionate 14 minutes of Finals work that I’ve ever seen. He only played 14 minutes in Game 6 at Dallas. He had eight points, six rebounds and five blocked shots. And I remember in my sort of fake call of that game for the Heat archives, saying something like,  ‘Does anybody want it more than Zo? It sure doesn’t look like anybody wants it more than him.’”

 

The Heat subsequently celebrated as champions for the first time in franchise history. Riley had won his fifth title as head coach and his first in 18 years, and Payton joined Mourning as longtime vets who earned their first. O’Neal capped it off symbolically handing Wade the Finals MVP trophy.

 

Wade was asked if he was surprised with how Dallas was guarding him, since they gave so much attention to O’Neal, and he said with a hand over his trophy, “Not at all. I done seen all the defenses. My coaches do a great job of getting me prepared, my teammates do a great job of spacing the court and making shots, so I can do what I do. This is a team award, just like this is a team championship.”

 

The bonds remain strong for the 2006 champions. They celebrated their commemoration on Feb. 3 and that many of them hadn’t been together since the times they played together. They went through a special journey and despite years passing without seeing each other, they will always be connected to one another. 

 

The 2006 championship is special because it showed that a team could start off shaky and get it together among sinners and saints, while validating Riley and the executive crew’s philosophy. It elevated the Heat’s standard and gave the fans what they had dreamed of since 1988.