DALLAS -- As Dwyane Wade walked to the scorer's table in the first quarter, greeted by a mix of boos and cheers, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle summoned Dirk Nowitzki to also check into the game for the first time.
The two-time Finals foes whose relationship used to be "frosty," as Nowitzki puts it, stood next to each other and shared a laugh before entering the game together with 5:11 remaining in the first quarter. Nowitzki broke the ice by cracking a joke about Wade wrapping up his pregame warmup by recreating the rebound and ball-throwing celebration from the last seconds of the Heat's title-clinching victory in Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals on this floor.