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SPORTS ZONE 1: NBA Finals

The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks will meet in the 2006 NBA Finals in the best of a seven game series, with Game One starting on Thursday, June 7.

The Mavericks will have home court advantage because they had the better overall regular season record than the Heat. The first two games will be held in the American Airlines Center in Dallas and then the games will move to the American Airlines Arena in Miami. If two final games are necessary, the teams will head back to Dallas.

The Mavericks swept the Heat in two games in the regular season, but this time the stakes are higher and the Heat are playing championship basketball. The Heat also have NBA Finals experienced players and coaching. They are coached by five time champion Pat Riley, who won one championship as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972, and coached the Lakers to four championships in the 1980s. The Heat also have experienced player and three time world champion center Shaquille O’Neal, who led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000-2002. This championship experience, along with some talented players on the Heat, should help them against the explosive Mavericks.

The Mavericks' coach Avery Johnson won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 as a player, and this is his first time as a coach in the NBA Finals. Johnson was voted NBA 2006 coach of the year.

The pressure will be on as both teams fight for gold, pride, glory and respect. The NBA Finals will be televised on ABC television starting Thursday, June 7, at 8PM EST.

--Written by Nizar Abdul-Samad

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