Last Updated on July 17, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake

The Dallas Mavericks have been a rival of the Miami Heat since 2006 when the Heat and Mavericks met in the Finals. The Heat won in 2006, but the Mavericks beat the Heat in the 2011 finals (The 2006 Heat had Dwyane Wade and Shaq while the 2011 Heat had Lebron and the Big 3). The Heat is one of the Maverick’s main rivals, though the Heat are known rivals to the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and state rivals, Orlando Magic.

Here is a timeline of the key events and matchups between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks:

Early Years (1988-2000):

  • The Miami Heat joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1988 while the Dallas Mavericks joined the NBA in 1980.

2006 NBA Finals:

  • The Miami Heat with a young Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal in his prime faced off against the Dirk Nowiztki-led Dallas Mavericks. The Heat defeated the Mavs 4–2 and Wade was named the Finals MVP.

Regular Season Rivalry (Post-2006):

  • Fans flocked to the stadiums to see the Heat and Mavericks after their 2006 Finals appearance. Shaq left the Heat in 2007-2008, so the Shaq and Nowtizki matchup didn’t last long for Heat fans, though Dwyane Wade continued with the Heat to their next Finals appearance in 2011.

2011 NBA Finals:

  • The Heat and Mavericks meet again in the NBA Finals for the first time since their 2006 showdown. The Mavericks are led by Dirk Nowitzki who averaged 23.0 points per game in the regular season. The Heat have the recently formed big 3 of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Despite Lebron joining Wade in Miami, most thought it would take time for the team to gel. They were correct: The Mavericks defeated the Heat 4–2. Dirk Nowitzki was the Finals MVP.

Post-2011 Era:

  • Fans love tuning into the Heat and Mavericks games due to their past rivalry because of their NBA Finals matchups in recent memory. But they only play in the regular season due to being in different conferences and never matching up again in the Finals.

2014 NBA Finals:

  • The Miami Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals with the Spurs winning 4–1. The Heat and Mavericks did not face off in the finals since.

2015 and Beyond:

  • The Heat and Mavericks always meet in the regular season and have close contests, but they often only play 2 games per season against each other due to the different conferences they play in. They are yet to meet again in the playoffs.

2018-19 Season:

  • The Heat played the Mavericks twice and won both games (112–101, 99–105).

2019-20 Season:

  • The Heat played the Mavericks twice and won both games (122–118, 118–126).

Note: With both of these wins, the Heat were on a 6 game win streak.

2020-21 Season:

  • The Heat played the Mavericks twice and lost both games (83–93, 127–113).

2021-22 Season:

  • The Heat played the Mavericks twice and won one (125–110) and lost one (107–99).

2022-23 Season:

  • The Heat played the Mavericks twice and won one (129–122) and lost one (90–115).

2023-24 Season:

  • The Heat played the Mavericks twice and lost both games (111–92, 108–114).