“Brought the Whole Bar”: Pat Riley Defied Mark Cuban’s Champagne Ban in 2006 Finals

The 2006 NBA Finals were one of the most memorable heavyweight battles from the early 2000s. The series featured both the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat hunting for their first NBA championship. Ultimately, the Heat prevailed in six games with the series decider hosted in Dallas. Although both teams’ focus was on the game at hand, Mark Cuban made an interesting request to Pat Riley in the event the Heat did win the series.

Not many could’ve predicted that these would be the last teams remaining in the 2005-06 NBA season. Although the Heat were the second seed in the East, they weren’t quite as good as the Detroit Pistons and the Mavericks paled in comparison to the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

Nonetheless, the Mavericks and Heat were able to find a way. Dallas quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead. It felt as if the Mavs would be on their way to securing an NBA title. However, those hopes would quickly change as Miami would go on to win the next three games.

Another win would have secured the championship. Of course, Cuban was well aware of this. In an effort to prepare for a potential loss, he decided to put in place a ban, which would dampen the Riley and the Heat’s celebrations.

“Cuban told Riley, ‘Don’t bring no bottles in the building that night,'” former Heat player Jason Williams said on the Hoopin’ N Hollerin’ Podcast. “He didn’t want us to f*** up the locker room.”

Jason Williams says Mark Cuban asked Pat Riley not to bring champagne bottles to Dallas in the 2006 finals ahead of game 6 because he didn’t want the Heat to “ruin the locker rooms”

“Anybody after the game I saw dry, idc if it was your mom, dad, if I didn’t know ya you were… pic.twitter.com/yhlNBCwxSE

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) January 22, 2026

Despite Cuban’s ban, Riley and the rest of the Heat had their own plans. They weren’t going to let anyone come in the way of their championship celebration.

“So what does Riley do? [Brought the whole bar] and two more,” Williams proclaimed. “He was tripping.”

Williams can’t speak for the rest of the team, but he surely wasn’t going to abide by an alcohol ban of any sort. The 2006 NBA championship was his first time reaching such a pinnacle. The one thing he made sure everyone was drinking as much as they could.

“Anybody after that game I saw dry, I don’t care if it was your mom, dad, if I didn’t know you, you were getting something poured on your head that night,” Williams revealed.

The Heat’s celebration lasted for quite some time. Of course, Dallas was able to get revenge in 2011, as they would win their first title against the Heat in their arena.