Dirk Nowitzki declined to respond to pointed criticism from NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was more than willing to speak – or blog, actually – for his star.

Wade ripped Nowitzki to Heat beat writers Thursday. Wade questioned Nowitzki's leadership skills, citing his mediocre performance in clutch moments during the Finals.

"Dirk said that they gave us the championship last year," Wade said in published reports. "But he's the reason they lost the championship, because he wasn't the leader he's supposed to be in the closing moments."

Nowitzki said after the Mavericks' win over the Rockets that he wasn't going to get in a back-and-forth trash-talking exchange with Wade. Nowitzki acknowledged that Wade's comments would serve as motivation.

Cuban blasted Wade in a post on blogmaverick.com Friday afternoon. Cuban made thinly veiled remarks about the officiating in the Finals and criticized Wade's leadership ability.

"You are an amazing player, Dwayne," Cuban wrote, intentionally misspelling Wade's first name. "I love watching you shoot free throws. What you know about Dirk's leadership skills is nonexistent. You don't have a clue. Your ability to evaluate leadership skills ... well, you obviously have an overinflated value of your own."

Coach Avery Johnson also stuck up for Nowitzki, saying he was a leader with a history of hitting clutch shots. Johnson, however, said Wade's comments weren't worth getting worked up about.

"It's a guy's opinion, man," Johnson said. "He's won. He's the champion. Everyone's trying to dethrone them. ... When you win, I guess you can say whatever you want to say."

A comparison of Miami's Dwyane Wade and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki in the fourth quarter and overtime of the three NBA Finals games decided by three or fewer points: