For the first time in franchise history, dating back to 1980, the Dallas Mavericks have advanced to the NBA Finals.

Phoenix led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter, but the Mavericks kept chipping away and on the shoulders of Josh Howard's 20 and 15 and Dirk Nowitzki's 24 points, Dallas pulled out a 102-93 victory.

Boris Diaw had 30 points and 11 rebounds, despite battling foul trouble all game long.