I'm back. Let's talk Heat. Briefly.

No, I didn't run and jump off a cliff because the Miami Heat made a mockery of my prediction. But I was tempted to.

After declaring the Heat would take the NBA title in six games, I got a nice runny egg, yolk and all, thrown in my face because it was the Dallas Mavericks winning in six. But that's the beauty of sports: its unpredictability. We can crunch numbers all day, rely on oddsmakers and analyze as much as we want, but ultimately never know what's going to happen.

When I made my prediction, I said there's no way the Mavs could beat two of the best players in the league on the same team. What I didn't anticipate was that these two guys would be anything but the best; especially in the final game, which turned out to be the one with the widest winning margin in the series.

I also thought when all else fails, which in this case turned out to be LeBron James' disappearance, Dwyane Wade's ability to take over in critical games would emerge. That didn't happen. Wade finished with just 17 points, four fewer than LeBron. But I don't blame Wade. He wasn't the one who needed to prove he can win a championship; he's already done that. Nor was he the one with the target on his back (no one will ever forget "The Decision" that made the Heat the most hated team.) Memories of Wade yelling at LeBron for passing up a shot to Mario Chalmers in game three of the series still play in my head. Wade was willing LeBron to the finish line, trying to show him what it'll take to win; sort of like when Wade realized back in 2006 that Shaq was going to keep him from winning the championship if Wade didn't take matters into his own hands. So maybe as he saw the lead get bigger while the time cut shorter, Wade just didn't have the fight left to give it his all.

But Dirk Nowitzki did. Despite struggling through the first three quarters, he summoned his reserve tank to ensure his team would be taking that victory route that was prematurely released after game 2. He ensured that Jason Terry wouldn't have to go through the painful process of undoing his championship trophy tattoo. And mostly, he ensured that a group of veteran players, himself included, wouldn't suffer the same nightmares plaguing NBA greats like Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller who never won rings. He ensured that the vets on his team would retire as champions.

I said right after the Mavs won (OK maybe not quite after, I took a few moments to mourn) that I couldn't be happier to see another team not called the Heat win. Terry, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Peja Stojakovic and Caron Butler--who didn't suit up due to a season-long injury-- are all veterans worthy of walking away with a ring. And for that reason, this long-term Heat fan, humbly and respectfully bows out.