record, the best postseason record in NBA history at the time. In 2002, the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets, leading almost the entire time in each game. O'Neal won the finals MVP all three times. In the 2003 off-season, veteran stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone signed with the Lakers. Along with Bryant and O'Neal, they formed what many expected to be one of the best teams in NBA history, and were the favorites to win the championship in 2004. However, the Detroit Pistons, under coach Larry Brown, defeated the Lakers in 5 games. Chauncey Billups was named the Finals MVP. Now established as one of the powerhouses of the East, the Pistons returned to the NBA Finals the following year, before losing to the Spurs in seven games. O'Neal was traded from the Lakers to the Miami Heat in 2004, where he teamed up with young phenom Dwyane Wade. Together they led the Heat to the 2006 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, who won the first two games at home, but Miami won the next four straight after multiple fourth quarter comebacks led by Wade, who won the Finals MVP award. The Lakers returned to the Finals in 2008 against the Boston Celtics, renewing the teams' rivalry with the 11th Finals matchup between them. The Celtics defeated the Lakers 4–2, led by their "Big Three" superstars of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Finals MVP Paul Pierce. The Lakers bounced back from the loss and returned to the Finals in 2009, where they defeated the Orlando Magic, led by Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, in five games. The Lakers met the Celtics once again in 2010, trailing 3–2 before winning the last two at home, marking the first time in history that the Celtics lost a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named Finals MVP both years, as head coach Phil Jackson surpassed Red Auerbach's record for most NBA titles of all time with eleven. During the 2010 off-season, the Miami Heat re-signed team captain Dwyane Wade and added free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh to form a new Big Three. The Heat were subsequently considered heavy title favorites and appeared in the next four Finals, starting in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch from five years earlier. Despite being heavy underdogs on paper, the Mavericks won the series 4–2,