Phoenix 102–93 in game 6. Dallas would later lose to the Miami Heat in six games, despite winning the first two games. On March 14, 2007, in Dallas, Phoenix beat Dallas in a 129–127 double-overtime thriller. With the Mavericks up by 7 with a minute left in regulation, Dirk Nowitzki (a 90% free throw shooter) missed two free throws. Steve Nash fed off his mistakes and scored 10 straight points including the game-tying three-pointer with 3 seconds left to go. Dirk Nowitzki's potential game-winning shot bounced off the rim and sent the game to overtime. Jason Terry sent the game into another overtime with a game-tying three-pointer of his own. Dirk Nowitzki's potential game-tying shot in double overtime went in and out of the rim as Amar'e Stoudemire's 41 points were too much for Dallas to handle. On April 10, 2013, the Mavericks 12-season playoff streak, since 2001, ended in a loss to the Suns 102–91. On April 12, 2014, the Mavs handed the Suns one of three straight losses to keep them out of the playoffs, 101–98. Their other two losses were to the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies. From the 2016-17 season through the 2021-22 regular season, the Suns dominated the rivalry, winning 17 out of 21 head-to-head games, including separate winning streaks of nine and seven games. The Mavericks and the Suns met again in the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals, in which the Suns were coming off a historic franchise-record 64 wins, while the Mavs compiled 52 regular-season wins. Despite the Suns being heavily favored to win and going up 2–0 in the series, the Suns' season ended in an upset 123–90 blowout game 7 loss to the Mavs on their home floor. Houston Rockets An NBA intrastate rivalry, both in Texas linked by I-45, as well as both Dallas and Houston fans traditionally having a disdain for each other's city, the rivalry started when the Mavericks were the last Texas team to join the NBA. This is also known as the I-45 rivalry because they both lie on Interstate 45. In the Mavs' inaugural season in 1980–81, the Rockets won all six meetings including a 116–68 blowout win. In the playoffs, the Mavericks defeated the Rockets in the 1988, and 2005 playoffs, the latter of which was plagued with allegations of game-fixing. and the Rockets swept several season series with the Mavericks during the 1990s