Maimi ? The Miami Heat hit rock bottom on a February night in Texas, courtesy of a 36-point pounding inflicted by the Dallas Mavericks.

Pat Riley called it painful. Shaquille O’Neal was embarrassed. Others used much saltier terms.

“I wasn’t thinking about the world championship that night, let me tell you,” Riley said.

But in a hastily arranged team meeting, moments after the 112-76 rout was over, Heat reserve guard Gary Payton – the veteran of more NBA seasons than anyone on the roster – asked the question that possibly saved Miami’s season.

“OK, Coach, how are we going to get better?”

Simple as it sounds, that was the turnaround.

“From that day on, we got better. That’s what that game did for us,” Riley said. “It humiliated us, embarrassed us enough on national television to start really coming together. … A lot of things changed that day. It might have been sort of the crossroads for us.”

Miami’s very next game was a victory over Detroit, the first of what became 10 straight wins for the Heat, who are 34-15 overall since that loss.

And after ousting the Pistons for the Eastern Conference championship, improbable as it surely seemed in Dallas that night, it’s perhaps fitting Miami is headed back there for Game 1 of the NBA finals.

The series opens Thursday between two clubs who never before have played for a title.

Miami was 0-2 against Dallas during the regular season, first losing 103-90 at home Nov. 25 – without O’Neal, who was out with a sprained ankle – and then the 36-point loss 21â2 months later on the Mavericks’ home floor.

Several of Miami’s season-lows came against the Mavericks, including worst three-point effort (0-for-11, at home); worst field-goal percentage allowed (.563, at Dallas); worst three-point percentage allowed (.688, at Dallas); fewest offensive rebounds (4) and total rebounds (28), both at Dallas; fewest second chance points (2, at Dallas); and fewest bench points (6, at home).