Miami Heat
2011–12 Miami Heat season
Miami Heat logo
Conference	Eastern Conference
Division	Southeast Division
Founded	1988
History	Miami Heat (1988–present)
Arena	American Airlines Arena
City	Miami, Florida
Team colors	Black, Deep Red, White, Orange,
Owner(s)	Micky Arison
General manager	Pat Riley
Head coach	Erik Spoelstra
D-League affiliate	Sioux Falls Skyforce
Championships	1 (2006)
Conference titles	2 (2006, 2011)
Division titles	9 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012)
Official website	heat.com
Home Away

The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami. The team is owned by Micky Arison, coached by Erik Spoelstra and managed by Pat Riley. The mascot of the team is Burnie, an anthropomorphic fireball.

The Heat were formed in 1988 as an expansion franchise. The Heat along with the Orlando Magic are the two NBA franchises that represent the state of Florida. Since entering the league, Miami has fielded squads that have made the playoffs 16 out of 24 seasons, capturing nine division titles, two Eastern Conference Championships in five appearances, and one NBA Championship, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4–2 in the 2006 NBA Finals. According to Forbes Magazine, in 2010 the value of the franchise was about $425 million.^[1]

Franchise History[link]

1987–1995: Early years[link]

The Heat played their home games in the Miami Arena from 1988-1999

In Florida, a state devoid of NBA franchises, groups from Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg and Miami all vied to land franchises. The Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority eventually endorsed a group led by NBA Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham and former sports agent (and lifelong friend of Cunningham's) Lewis Schaffel, who received their financial backing from Carnival Cruise Lines founder Ted Arison, who would be majority owner. Day-to-day operations would be handled by minority shareholders Cunningham and Schaffel. In April 1987, the NBA expansion committee endorsed the bids of the cities of Charlotte and Minneapolis. However, the committee was split between awarding the third and final franchise to Miami or Orlando, causing representatives from both cities to toss barbs at the other. Finally, it was decided that the NBA would expand by 4 teams, with the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat debuting for the 1988–89 season and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic beginning for the 1989–90 season.^[2] At the survey for the choice of the name, Miami Heat defeated Miami Vice, the famous detective show set among the palms of South Beach.

The Heat came into the NBA for the 1988–89 season with an unproductive first year, with a roster full of young players and journeymen. Among the players on the inaugural roster were first round picks Rony Seikaly and Kevin Edwards, fellow rookies Grant Long and Sylvester Gray as well as NBA vets Rory Sparrow, Jon Sundvold, Pat Cummings, Scott Hastings, Dwayne "Pearl" Washington and Billy Thompson. The team started out the season by losing its first 17 games, including a blowout 138–91, to Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers, at the time an NBA record. It did not help that the Heat were placed in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, in defiance of all geographic reality. This forced them on the longest road trips in the NBA; their nearest divisional opponent was the Houston Rockets, over 900 miles from Miami. The team ultimately finished with a league-worst 15–67 win-loss record (tied for worst season in franchise history).

To help address Miami's league-low point production, the Heat picked Glen Rice from the University of Michigan in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft, and Sherman Douglas of Syracuse University in the 2nd round. The team also moved to the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference for the 1989–90 season, where they would remain for the next 15 years. However, the Heat continued to struggle and never won more than two consecutive games, en route to an 18–64 record. The 1989–90 season saw Miami awarded with the 3rd pick overall, only to parlay via two trades (first with the Denver Nuggets and later with the Houston Rockets) into getting the 9th and 12th picks, with which they selected Willie Burton of the University of Minnesota and Alec Kessler of the University of Georgia. Both picks flopped, as the Heat tried to turn Burton, a college small forward, into a shooting guard without much success and Kessler was bogged by injury problems and was not physical enough to be a quality NBA power forward. While Rice, Seikaly and Douglas all showed improvement from the previous year, Miami still only went 24–58 and remained in the Atlantic Division basement. Rothstein would resign as head coach at the end of the season, but later would return to the Heat prior to the 2004–05 season as an assistant coach, a role he still fulfills today.

Glen Rice played six seasons with the Heat from 1989 to 1995.

In the wake of Rothstein's resignation prior to the 1991–92 season, the Heat hired Kevin Loughery, who had 29 years of experience in the NBA both as a coach and a player, to be their new head coach.

For the 1991 NBA Draft, the team selected Steve Smith from Michigan State, an agile guard, to usher in a new era of a mature Heat team. With the help of rookie Smith, Rony Seikaly, and a more experienced Glen Rice, the Heat finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 38–44 record even with a shocking defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers 148–80 and made the playoffs for the first time in their history, becoming the first of the four late 80's expansion teams to do so. Playing the league-best Chicago Bulls, the Heat were swept in three games. Steve Smith made the NBA All-Rookie team and Glen Rice finished 10th in the NBA in scoring.

The 1992-93 NBA season included the additions of draft choice Harold Miner of the University of Southern California as well as trading a 1st round pick (which would turn into the #10 overall pick the following season) for Detroit Pistons forward/center John Salley.

While Salley's addition was first met with hope because of the role that he played on two championship Pistons squads, it became quickly apparent that Salley was a quality role player for a good team, but not a quality player for a mediocre team like Miami was at the time. Salley would eventually have his playing time diminish, ultimately resulting in his being taken by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 expansion draft. As for the season itself, it started off poorly, with Smith missing time with a knee injury and Burton being lost for most of the year with a wrist injury. Upon Smith's return, Miami posted a winning record in February and March, but it was not enough to dig themselves out of the 13–27 hole they began in. They finished 36–46 and would not return to the playoffs.

A healthier squad fared better in 1993–94, posting the franchise's first-ever winning record at 42–40 and returning to the playoffs as the #8 seed versus the Atlanta Hawks. After Miami had a 2–1 series lead, Atlanta rallied from the deficit to win the best-of-5 series. After that season, Steve Smith would be selected as a member of the 2nd Dream Team, the collection of NBA All-Stars who were selected to compete in the 1994 FIBA World Championship in Toronto as Team USA.

Dream Team II, also made up of future Heat players Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Dan Majerle and Tim Hardaway, would go on to win the tournament. In 1994–95, the team overhauled their roster, trading away Seikaly, Smith, and Grant Long. In return, the Heat obtained Kevin Willis and Billy Owens.

Also, at this time came a changing of ownership in Heat's front office. On February 13, 1995 Cunningham and Lew Schaffel were bought out by the Arison family of Carnival Cruise Lines fame, who to that point in time had been silent partners in the day-to-day operations of the franchise. Ted Arison's son, Micky Arison, was named Managing General Partner. He immediately fired Loughery and replaced him with Alvin Gentry on an interim basis to try to shake up the 17–29 Heat. Gentry went 15–21 for the remaining 36 games of the season for a 32–50 record overall, 10 games off the previous year's mark, in that season the Heat got their best win of franchise history when they beat the Los Angeles Clippers 126–83.

1995–2001: Arrival of Pat Riley[link]

In the 1995 offseason, the Heat hired Pat Riley from the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers and the 1990s New York Knicks to be the team's new president and head coach after he resigned immediately following the 1994–1995 season. Riley dropped a bombshell the night before the season began, sending Glen Rice and Matt Geiger (among others) to the Hornets in exchange for All-Star center Alonzo Mourning. In a flurry of midseason deals, Riley acquired several players including Tim Hardaway, Chris Gatling and Walt Williams. The Heat finished with a winning record with Mourning among the league leaders in scoring and rebounding, but lost in the playoffs in a 3-game sweep against the 72–10 Chicago Bulls.

The following season, the Heat were the NBA's biggest surprise, and the league's most improved team, made a 19-game improvement, winning their first-ever Atlantic Division title with a 61–21 record. Playing a key role were new additions Dan Majerle, P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, and Voshon Lenard. They beat Riley's former team in seven games, rallying from a 3–1 series deficit, partly due to several Knicks players leaving the bench (leading to several suspensions) during a fight that occurred between P.J. Brown and Charlie Ward after Ward was body-slammed by the usually mild-mannered Brown, leading to a brawl. The Heat were beaten in the next Eastern Conference Finals in five games (after falling into a 3–0 series deficit) by the Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, for the second consecutive year.

The Heat celebrated their 10-year anniversary in the 1997–98 season and captured their second straight Atlantic Division title. However, in what would become a rivalry, the Heat lost in the first round against the New York Knicks after Mourning would miss the deciding Game 5 via suspension after getting into a Game 4 altercation with Larry Johnson and with Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy hanging onto Mourning's leg in an attempt to intervene.

1998–99 was a lockout-shortened season. Miami would have a conference-best 33–17 record to claim their first-ever #1 seed in the NBA Playoffs. In spite of their seeding, the Heat would lose to the Knicks led by Patrick Ewing again after Allan Houston hit a rim-bouncing game-winning jumper in Game 5 to decide the series. The Cinderella story Knicks would go on to play in the 1999 NBA Finals, losing to the San Antonio Spurs.

American Airlines Arena(The Triple A) has been home to the Heat since 2000.

As a result of their success on the court, the Heat moved into the American Airlines Arena in 1999, which seats over 20,500 fans. The Heat again lost in a deciding Game 7 to the Knicks by a single point.

During the summer of 2000, the Heat felt it needed a change. After losing out to the Orlando Magic to get Raptors swingman Tracy McGrady, Miami decided to trade P.J. Brown and Jamal Mashburn to the Charlotte Hornets (among others) in exchange for Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason and Ricky Davis. Miami also picked up Brian Grant to go along with the core of Mourning, Hardaway, Majerle, Bruce Bowen and Anthony Carter. The Heat were expected to be the favorites in the Eastern Conference until franchise-centerpiece Mourning returned from the 2000 Olympics to announce he would miss the entire season due to a rare kidney disorder, known as focal glomerulosclerosis. The Heat missed Mourning for 69 games in 2000–01, yet found success with Anthony Mason, who was named to his first All-Star game. Brian Grant, Eddie Jones and Tim Hardaway also played well for the Heat. Mourning returned with 13 games remaining. He was a shell of his former, MVP-candidate self and Miami was swept by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round.

2001–2003: Missing the playoffs[link]

The following two seasons were two of the worst in Heat history. Pat Riley missed the playoffs for the first time in his coaching career, and much of the remaining core from the division-title winning Heat teams of the late 1990s departed (Tim Hardaway, Bruce Bowen and Dan Majerle).

Miami rounded out its 2001–02 season roster with players well past their prime such as Rod Strickland, Chris Gatling, Jim Jackson, LaPhonso Ellis and Kendall Gill along with Mourning, Jones, Grant and Carter, whom the Heat signed to a controversial three-year deal that many said was far too much for the young guard. And to acquire Gatling, Riley and the Heat traded away Ricky Davis, a young, promising player. The trade drew a lot of criticism at the time. The Heat also signed two young, undrafted players in Malik Allen and Mike James to make up for not having a first-round pick in the draft. Miami also signed Vladimir Stepania to back up Mourning at center. The veteran team narrowly missed the playoffs, despite having a losing record at 36–46.

Miami began to rebuild in 2002–03. Thy drafted Caron Butler in the first round and Rasual Butler in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft. Miami supposedly missed out on potentially selecting Yao Ming by one ping-pong ball during the draft lottery^{[citation needed]}. Mourning missed the entire season due to his condition worsening and Eddie Jones also missed a huge portion of the season with an ankle injury. Miami signed Travis Best to be the starting point guard. The Heat was led by Caron Butler and many of the youthful players that have filled out the Heat's roster since 2000 including Eddie House, Carter, Stepania, Allen and James. The Heat finished 25–57 to end the 2002–2003 season as Riley stepped down as head coach and the team finished 7th in the Atlantic Division.

2003–2004: Arrival of Dwyane Wade[link]

Dwyane Wade was drafted fifth overall by the Heat in 2003.

Alonzo Mourning's huge contract expired the following summer, giving the Heat some much-needed cap room to rebuild. However, Miami was still a few million dollars away from signing a max contract player. On July 1, 2003, Miami was expecting to hear from Bill Duffy, agent for Anthony Carter, who was expected to make $4.1 million the upcoming season provided he exercised his option. Duffy's agency never informed the team and Miami was free from the contract. In addition, the season earlier, forward LaPhonso Ellis honorably rescinded a clause in his contract which would have forced the Heat to pay Ellis the following season, a burden the Heat could not afford to deal with in the rebuilding process.^{[citation needed]}

With cap space, Miami signed forward Lamar Odom and guard Rafer Alston. The Heat also opted to draft Dwyane Wade out of Marquette University with the 5th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft instead of signing a large-scale free agent point guard such as Gilbert Arenas. The pick was somewhat surprising at the time, since it was expected that Miami would draft a true point guard rather than a shooting guard. Miami also signed Udonis Haslem out of the University of Florida, who went undrafted a season earlier. Odom, Alston, Haslem and Wade teamed up with Grant, Jones, Allen and both Butlers to form one of the most surprising teams of the season.

A few days before the start of the 2003–04 season, Riley shocked the basketball world when he stepped down as head coach to focus more on his role as team president and promoted longtime assistant coach Stan Van Gundy to the head coaching position. The team was expected to be among the league's worst by NBA prognosticators.^{[citation needed]} After dealing with early injury problems to Odom, Wade and both Butlers, the team jelled and formed what most members of that team consider to be the most fun season of their careers. The Heat's newcomers brought youth and energy to the team. Wade broke several rookie records while other Heat players revived their careers. Wade led the Heat over the New Orleans Hornets, the same team that had swept the Heat into rebuilding mode three seasons prior. Miami went on to lose to the Indiana Pacers 4–2 in the Conference Semifinals.

2004–2007: Wade–Shaq duo[link]

Shaquille O'Neal was acquired in a summer blockbuster involving Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and Brian Grant.

After the promising 2003–04 season, Miami took major steps forward to becoming a Championship franchise. They acquired superstar center Shaquille O'Neal on July 14, 2004 in an historic trade with the Los Angeles Lakers for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant. Riley also tried to sign Karl Malone, but he decided to retire. Wade and O'Neal worked well as a pair. The season also reunited several former club members. Ron Rothstein, the Heat's inaugural head coach, became an assistant coach, Steve Smith rejoined the club and Alonzo Mourning was re-signed after being released from the Toronto Raptors following the Vince Carter trade in December.

The Heat had its second best record in franchise history: 59–23. They also had 14 consecutive victories, currently a franchise record. They were seeded first in the playoffs, and swept through the first two rounds against New Jersey and Washington; advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals against defending Champion Detroit. The teams split the first four games before Miami took an 88–76 victory in Game 5, but in the process lost Wade to a strained rib muscle suffered in an attempt to take a charge against Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace. Without Wade, the Heat lost 91–66 in Game 6 at Detroit, setting up Game 7 in Miami. Wade returned and the Heat held a 6-point lead with 3 minutes remaining before a series of missed shots and turnovers down the stretch that cost the Heat the game and a 1st ever trip to the finals in an 88–82 Game 7 loss . Wade apparently struggled to breathe throughout the game due to the rib injury, forcing him to play in a limited capacity, however he did score 20 points.

In the offseason, the Heat were retooled. In what was to be the largest trade in NBA history, in a 5-team, 13-player transaction the Heat traded away Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler and Qyntel Woods and in exchange received former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and James Posey. Miami also signed former All-Star guard Gary Payton, former UCLA star Jason Kapono and first round pick and NCAA All American Wayne Simien. Free agent Damon Jones opted for a bigger contract offered by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Critics were quick to debate whether a reformed Heat team would have chemistry issues and or were too old (O'Neal, Mourning and Payton were all in their mid-thirties) or had too many underachievers (Walker had a reputation of miserable shot selection; Williams, one of turnover-prone playmaking). After an 11–10 start, with O'Neal already hurt, these critics seemed to have been proven right.

Then on December 12, 2005 Riley announced he would become head coach for the second time, after Van Gundy unexpectedly stepped down due to personal and family reasons. The team responded and went on to win its first three games under Riley. They were still criticized for being unable to beat top caliber teams of the NBA. This criticism would just grow on the Heat. Although they finished January with 10 wins and 5 losses, there was still proof they could not beat the best in the NBA. They had already lost to the defending Champions San Antonio Spurs twice, twice to the Phoenix Suns, and in a nationally televised broadcast we're shelled by 36 points to their eventual opponent in the 2006 NBA Finals the Dallas Mavericks. The months of February and March were very successful for the Heat, including a stretch of 15 wins in 16 games which began with a comeback victory over the Perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse Detroit Pistons. Wade and O'Neal helped the Heat finish with a 52–30 record, enough for the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. Their record was respectable but was viewed as somewhat underachieved compared to the 2004–2005 59 win and 1st place playoff seeded season.

The Heat drew the seventh seed Chicago Bulls in the first-round. The Heat won the first two games at home, despite Udonis Haslem being ejected in the first game and suspended for the second for throwing his mouthpiece in the direction of the referee. The team lost games three and four in Chicago but bounced back to win game five at home. By winning game six in Chicago, the Heat won the series and went on to face the New Jersey Nets in the second round. The Heat lost Game 1 at home but won the next four to oust the Nets from the playoffs for the second year in a row. The Heat advanced to their second Eastern Conference Finals in as many years. They opened up the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals in Detroit, in a rematch of the previous year's Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat stole home court advantage by winning Game 1. Although Miami lost the second game 92–88 (despite a near comeback after trailing by eighteen). Home for the next two games, they won both Game 3 (98–83) and Game 4 (89–78) to take a 3–1 series lead. The Pistons then won Game 5 in The Palace of Auburn Hills, but the Heat answered by winning Game 6 and advanced to their first NBA Finals in franchise history against Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks, were also in their first NBA Finals.

The Heat lost the first two games in Dallas convincingly. Wade led the Heat to a comeback win in Game 3, a game in which the Heat trailed by as many as 13. With their confidence regained the Heat blew out the Mavs in Game 4 and survived a Game 5 overtime thriller in which Wade put up 43 points. With Pat Riley famously declaring "One suit, one shirt, one tie" the team went on to win Game 6 in Dallas, winning their first NBA championship. They became only the third team in NBA history to win the final series after being down 0–2, following the 1969 Boston Celtics and the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers. The Heat overcame a miserable start with a 14-point gap to wear down the Mavericks, and led by one point (49–48) at halftime. Again, Wade played a vital role, powering the Heat to a late lead. He was helped by five blocks by Alonzo Mourning (the Heat had over 10 team blocks in the game even though they were averaging a little over 2 blocks in the series) and clutch shooting by James Posey, who drained a three pointer which put the Heat ahead by six with 3 minutes to go. The Mavericks were down three with a few seconds left after a pair of missed free-throws by Wade. However, Dallas would be put to rest after Wade captured the rebound, fittingly ending the game by tossing the ball in the air after a missed three-point shot attempt by Jason Terry. Wade would go on to win the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.

Shaquille O'Neal, Pat Riley and the Heat meeting President George W. Bush after their Championship win.

The championship proved all the more poignant for Miami's veteran superstars Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Jason Williams, and Antoine Walker who had never before won an NBA championship. Mourning and Payton both re-signed with the Heat for the 2006–07 season, wanting to win another Championship. The Championship marked the seventh title for Coach Riley (fifth as a head coach), and fourth for O'Neal, both of whom fulfilled promises to Miami (when Riley first came to Miami and said he "envisioned a parade on Biscayne Boulevard") and (when O'Neal first arrive he vowed to "bring the title home"). O'Neal also proclaimed during the Championship parade that they would win the NBA repeat, later clarifying this promise applied only if Wade were present and healthy for the ride through the playoffs.

The Heat started poorly in the 2007, losing to the Bulls by 42 points (66–108), the worst home loss in team history and worst margin of defeat for a defending Champion on opening day in NBA history. O'Neal played the first few games for the Heat, then missed over thirty with a right knee injury. Key members of the Heat's Championship run, Antoine Walker and Gary Payton, were finding themselves on the bench at the expense of Jason Kapono and Dorell Wright.

The first half of the Heat's season was full of misfortune. Coach Riley took an indefinite leave, Wade briefly injured his right wrist, while James Posey and Walker were delisted after failing a body mass exam. Matters improved for the team. Rothstein, the Heat's original head coach, returned on an interim basis. Both Posey and Walker were reinstated. Former Heat star Eddie Jones re-signed with the team after being released by the Memphis Grizzlies. O'Neal returned to play in January. Riley resumed his duties as head coach at the start of the second half of the season.

After thinking everything was going to turn around for the Heat, on February 21, in a game against the Houston Rockets, Wade dislocated his left shoulder and left in a wheelchair. Shortly after the injury, Wade announced that he would opt for rehabilitation instead of surgery, with the hope of returning for the playoffs. The rehab was successful enough that he returned on April 9. Wade was rusty, and said that he didn't have his "legs back yet."

After Wade's injury, many predicted the Heat would fail even to make the playoffs. Those predictions were quickly dismissed as the Heat surged, winning 11 out of 14 games. In that time, Miami posted a nine-game winning streak (defeating such teams as the Pistons, Wizards, Bulls and Jazz), in addition to extending a home winning streak to 14. O'Neal was a primary cause for the Heat's resurgence, playing his best basketball of the season and serving as a focal point of the offense.^{[weasel words]} Having a roster full of veterans and former All-Stars also had a notable benefit in dealing with the loss of Wade. Miami was able to post a 16–7 record without him and, in the process were able to win a third consecutive Southeast Division title.

Shortly after Wade returned, O'Neal's grandfather died, causing him to miss two games. Additionally, Udonis Haslem and Gary Payton were injured. The Heat finished the regular season with a 44–38 record and faced the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, to whom they lost 4–0 in the best of seven series. The Heat became the first defending champion since 1957 to get swept in the first round in the following season. It was also the first four-game playoff series sweep suffered in Miami Heat history.

2007–2010: Rebuilding[link]

Michael Beasley was the Heat's highest ever draft pick (2nd overall) in the 2008 NBA Draft.

After a disappointing 2006–07 season, the Heat looked to move forward. Miami retained the 20th and 39th picks in the 2007 NBA Draft. On June 28, 2007, the Miami Heat selected Colorado State forward Jason Smith with the 20th overall selection then traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers for the draft rights to the 21st overall selection, guard Daequan Cook from Ohio State, and cash considerations. With the 39th overall selection, the Miami Heat drafted Stanko Barać, a center from Bosnia, but later traded his rights to the Indiana Pacers for a future second-round pick. The Heat lost Jason Kapono to the Toronto Raptors and James Posey to the Boston Celtics. The Heat got a much-needed point guard when they picked up Smush Parker from free agency and signed him to a three-year deal. They also signed veteran guard Penny Hardaway, reuniting the Shaq-Penny duo from the Orlando Magic teams of the mid-90s. Hardaway was later waived in December. Also in the 2007 off-season, the Miami Heat made a five-player trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, bringing back Ricky Davis and Mark Blount. Leaving the Heat were Antoine Walker, Wayne Simien, Michael Doleac, and a conditional first-round pick. Davis was on the Heat in August 2000 but fell out of favor with Riley. When the trade occurred he became a more polished scorer and was projected to have been a third option for the Heat to complement Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, had the circumstances of the season turned out differently.

On December 19, 2007, during the first quarter of the game versus the Atlanta Hawks while getting back on a fast-break, Alonzo Mourning tore the patellar tendon in his right knee[2] and was required to undergo season-ending knee surgery. On February 5, 2008, ESPN reported that the Heat were interested in trading center Shaquille O'Neal, contrary to reports by Pat Riley one month earlier that the Heat was not interested in trading the 13-time all-star. The next day however, the Heat agreed to trade O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, effectively ending the Wade-O'Neal era. The Heat clinched the worst record in the NBA at 15–67 (.183). Late in the season, with the Heat well out of any type of realistic playoff contention, head coach Pat Riley missed two games because he went to scout certain NCAA basketball conference tournament games, to prepare in the likely event that the Heat received the number 1 or 2 pick in the 2008 draft.

It was announced on March 10, 2008, that Heat guard Dwyane Wade would be inactive for the rest of the season to help him rehabilitate his ailing knee and shoulder that he had re-aggravated, in hopes of playing in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. It was announced on March 10 that the Heat waived guard Smush Parker, opening the opportunity to add a player signed to a 10-day contract. On March 12, 2008, they signed Bobby Jones to a 10-day contract, looking for help at the shooting guard and small forward positions. At the end of March 2008, the Heat posted the third-lowest point total in the history of the NBA during the shot clock era during a 96–54 loss to the Toronto Raptors on March 19, followed by a new record for the fewest made baskets with seventeen, in another lost game against the Boston Celtics on March 30.^[3] The Heat finished the season on a positive note on April 16 to close out the season with a 113–99 victory over the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks.^[4] On April 28, 2008, Pat Riley stepped down as the head coach of the Heat but remained Team President. He replaced himself with longtime assistant coach Erik Spoelstra, who at 37, became the youngest head coach in the NBA. Riley finished his career with 1,210 victories, third all-time behind Lenny Wilkens and Don Nelson.

On May 20, 2008, the Heat obtained the number 2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft as a result of the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery. They were expected to select power forward Michael Beasley or guard O. J. Mayo. Immediately following the draft lottery, Pat Riley suggested the team would listen to any trade offers for the second overall pick. However, he did stress the right offer would have to be made in order for the Heat to even consider such a trade (e.g., the Kevin Garnett trade to Boston from the 2007 offseason). On June 26, 2008, the Bulls selected Rose as expected, leaving the Heat to select Beasley. In the second round, with the 52nd overall pick, the Heat chose Kansas forward Darnell Jackson. Somewhat unexpectedly, it was announced that the Heat agreed to trade the lesser two of their three 2009 second-round draft picks to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the draft rights of talented Kansas guard Mario Chalmers, who helped lead Kansas to the NCAA championship, including making a three-point shot that sent the game to overtime. It was also later announced that Darnell Jackson's draft rights were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for the lesser of their two second-round picks in 2009. In early July, the free agent period began and with limited cap space the Heat signed local James Jones as the team's three-point specialist. Along with the acquisition of Yakhouba Diawara and Jamaal Magloire the Heat added depth and experience to their roster. On September 29, 2008, Randy Pfund stepped down as General Manager, elevating Pat Riley to that position. Four days later, the Miami Heat signed point guard Shaun Livingston, a former L.A Clipper. On November 5, 2008, 2nd-round draft pick and rookie Mario Chalmers of the Heat set a new franchise record of 9 steals in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers. That exceeded the old record set by Tim Hardaway for the most steals by a rookie in the Heat's 21 year history. On February 13, 2009, the Heat traded Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Toronto Raptors for center Jermaine O'Neal and forward Jamario Moon. Miami had been rumored to be pursuing O'Neal, as well as Amar'e Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer. The trade was meant to address the team's lack of a low post presence. On April 3, 2009, the Miami Heat clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Charlotte Bobcats. The Heat became the first team since the 1968–69 San Diego Rockets to go from 15 wins to the playoffs in one year (finished 43–39). They were eliminated in seven games by the fourth seed Atlanta Hawks in the first round. However, Dwyane Wade led the league in scoring with 30.2 points per game, becoming the first franchise player to do so.

The Heat started the 2009–10 season by going 7–1 through their first 8 games, but were inconsistent the rest of the way, and were at 35–34 through the first 69 games. On January 5, 2010, the Heat traded Chris Quinn to the New Jersey Nets for a 2012 second draft pick which allowed the team to sign recently released guard Rafer Alston. The team picked up the pace late, going 12–1 in the final 13 games to earn the 5th seed in the East, finishing 47–35 and making an improvement for the second consecutive season. The Heat lost in five games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Boston Celtics. The Heat finished the season ranking 15th in the NBA in total attendance with 726,935.^[5]

2010–present: The "Big Three"[link]

"The Big 3"

LeBron James

Dwyane Wade

Chris Bosh

The Heat entered NBA Free Agency in 2010 with nearly $46 million in salary cap space, with the ability to re-sign free agent Dwyane Wade, and add two of the NBA's top players, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. On July 7, 2010, Wade and Bosh agreed to terms with the Miami Heat. Then on July 8, 2010, James held an hour-long special to announce his decision on ESPN to commit to playing with the Heat.^[6] Later that evening, the Heat announced the trade of Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a pair of second round picks and cash considerations.^[7] On July 8, 2010, it became official that NBA superstars and gold medal winning Beijing Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh would be joining Miami. The Heat completed sign-and-trade deals, sending a total of four future first-round and two second-round picks to the Cavaliers and Raptors for James and Bosh (both signing 6 years and $110.1 million contracts). Wade re-signed with the Heat for $107.59 million for six years.^[8][9][10] The three made their debut at the 2010 Summer Heat Welcome Party at the American Airlines Arena on July 9, where they were introduced as The Three Kings by Heat play-by-play announcer and event co-host Eric Reid.^[11] Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries."^[12]

The Heat began the season with much hype going into their first game against the Eastern Conference Champs, the Boston Celtics. Many considered the Heat as the team to break the single season record of 72 regular season victories set by the Chicago Bulls.^[13] On the opening game of the season, broadcast on the TNT Network and featuring the debut of reigning two-time NBA MVP James in a Miami uniform alongside Bosh, the game was the most-watched NBA contest ever on cable television.^[14]

The Heat lost the opening game 88–80 and got off to a 9-8 start. Much of the speculation was that Spoelstra could lose his job and that Heat president Pat Riley would return as coach, especially after a well publicized incident when James "bumped" into Spoelstra during a timeout against the Dallas Mavericks.^[15] However after a "players only" meeting the team began to gel as they pulled together a 12-game win streak (10 of them by double-digits) and limited the opposition under 100 points in all those games. On January 27, 2011, via fan voting, LeBron James (forward) and Dwyane Wade (guard) were selected to be starters for the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game becoming the second pair of teammates to be selected as All-Star starters in franchise history (Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade; 2006 and 2007). A few days later, forward Chris Bosh was selected as a reserve, marking the first time in Heat history the team has sent three players to the All-Star game in a single season. The Heat finished with a 58–24 record, third best in team history and a second overall seed, behind the Chicago Bulls who had the NBA's best record. In the NBA Playoffs, Miami defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the First Round, Boston Celtics in the Conference Semifinals, and Bulls in the Conference Finals, all in 5 games respectively. The Heat then reached the 2011 NBA Finals for the first time since 2006 in a rematch against the Dallas Mavericks; they would lose to the Mavericks in six games. Wade averaged 26.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, the highest scorer on the team, while James averaged 17.8 points, and 7.1 rebounds which was the largest drop off in points from a regular season to an NBA Finals in NBA history.^[16]

During the off-season, the Bulls drafted Norris Cole 28th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, but in a series of draft night deals, his rights were subsequently traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who then dealt him to the Heat. After the NBA Lockout ended, the Heat would improve their roster by signing veteran Shane Battier and Eddy Curry. in the shorten 2011-12 season the Heat got off to a 27-7 start, and for the second year in a row, Wade, James, and Bosh were all selected to the NBA All-Star Game, however they would struggle for the second half of the season going 19-13. The Heat finished 46–20 earning the second overall seed in the NBA Playoffs. They defeated the New York Knicks in five games in the First Round. In the Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers the Heat's championship aspirations would take a huge blow after Chris Bosh went down with a lower abdominal strain injury in a game 1 victory, however the team overcame adversity and defeated the Pacers in six games.

Uniforms[link]

1988–1999 h

1988–1999 a

1999–present h

1999–present a

2001–present t

The original Miami Heat uniforms consist of simple striping, exclusive only on the right side of the jersey and shorts. The home uniforms were white with lettering in red, black and orange trim, while the away uniforms were black with red, white and orange trim; the numbers were white with red, black and orange trim, using the same font as the classic Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys. The original 'flaming ball' logo is on the left leg of the shorts while the word 'Miami' is on the right leg. In the 1995-96 NBA season the Heat introduced a red alternate uniform with lettering and numbers in black, white and orange trim.

The current Heat uniforms have been in use since the 1999–2000 season. These uniforms, though similar, have marked differences such as striping on both sides, change from orange to yellow trim, updated lettering and block numbers, and a modified 'flaming ball' logo on the right leg. The black away uniform numbers are now consistent with the lettering colors (white with red trim). The alternate red uniform was introduced during the 2001–02 NBA season, and features the city name and numbers in white with black trim. They were also the only team in the NBA to have the NBA logo on the right shoulder instead of the left, until the introduction of the Adidas Revolution 30 uniforms in 2010 which regulated all teams to have the NBA logo on the left shoulder. In the 2009–10 season, the red alternates were tweaked to include the "MH" secondary logo on the left leg; the 'MH' was also added on the beltline for the away and home uniforms, the 'flaming ball' logo was also moved to the left leg. Similar to the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic, the Heat had a dress code that prohibits players from wearing headbands on the court. Since then, however, the Heat have allowed the use of headbands, beginning with Jermaine O'Neal in 2009 and continued with the additions of LeBron James, Eddie House, Erick Dampier and Mike Bibby.

Since the 2008 season, the Heat participated in the NBA's Noche Latina promotions, or Latin Nights. In commemorating the occasion, they use their black away uniforms, but with the wordmark "El Heat".

In the 2011–12 season, the Heat planned to wear a 4th all-black alternate home jersey in addition to the existing 3 white, black and red road uniforms. These uniforms were unveiled in 2010 as exclusive fan apparel rather than for game use, but the Heat have planned to wear them in selected home games of the 2011–12 season (against higher ranked teams like the Bulls, Thunder, Knicks, Mavericks, Lakers etc.). These uniforms are in black and white trim; the lettering, logos and numbers traced only in white.^[17]

The Heat have also honored the ABA's Miami Floridians by donning throwback uniforms; first the road jerseys in the 2005–06 season, then the home jerseys in the 2011–12 season.

Rivalries[link]

vs. New York Knicks[link]

The rivalry between the New York Knicks and the expansion Miami Heat was a result of their history-making brutally physical four consecutive playoff series from 1997 to 2000. Each series went to the maximum number of games. The rivalry was heightened by a feud sparking between Pat Riley initially the coach of the Knicks from 1991 to 1995, and head coach of the Miami Heat from 1996–2003, 2005–2008 and Riley's successor Knick's head coach Jeff Van Gundy, a faithful servant of Riley's in New York. The first two years were marked by physical violence during the series, with suspensions to players that ultimately determined the outcome. The Heat-Knicks rivalry is also part of the larger cultural rivalry between Miami and New York.

This once bitter rivalry has greatly softened, with the struggles of the Knicks franchise and the turnover of the Miami Heat to a new crop of players. Ever since the re-alignment of divisions with the addition of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, the Miami Heat have been moved to the newly created Southeast Division. However, in its prime this rivalry was bitter and marked by players on both teams giving their best efforts in every game. Both teams were almost evenly matched every time they played. In recent years, the rivalry has slightly reignited with the Heat signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh while the Knicks signed Amar'e Stoudemire and traded for Carmelo Anthony. Both teams met in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs where the Heat won in five games.

vs. Chicago Bulls[link]

The rivalry with the Chicago Bulls began once the Miami Heat became contenders during the 1990s, a decade dominated by the Bulls, and the advent of the Michael Jordan era. During that period, the Heat were eliminated three times by the Bulls, who would go on to win the NBA championship each time. After Jordan retired and the Heat's fall in the early 2000s, the rivalry cooled but slightly picked up when the Heat faced them in the first round of the 2006 NBA playoffs, which ended in a 4–2 Heat series victory and went on to win the NBA Finals, the Bulls would sweep the defending champion Heat in the first round the next season.

-The rivalry has intensified with the resurgence of the Bulls, and the emergence of Derrick Rose and the Heat re-signing Dwyane Wade (who turned down a chance of joining his hometown Bulls) with newly acquired superstars in Chris Bosh and LeBron James (who spurned a chance of teaming up with Rose in Chicago). The revived rivalry has been very physical, involving rough plays and hard fouls between players. Both teams met in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, with the Heat winning in five games.

Season-by-season records[link]

Home arenas[link]

• Miami Arena (1988–1999)
• AmericanAirlines Arena (2000–present)

Radio and television[link]

The flagship radio stations of the Miami HEAT are WAXY (790 AM) in English,^[18] with Mike Inglis and John Crotty calling games, and WQBA (1140 AM) in Spanish, with Jose Paneda and Joe Pujala on the call.

The Heat games are televised primary by Sun Sports with Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino. Previously, WBFS-TV, WFOR-TV, and WAMI-TV have all aired some games. Games are occasionally televised by TNT, ESPN, or ABC.

From 1988–1993, the HEAT were on WQAM. WINZ previously aired games from 1993–1996 and WIOD did from 1996–2008.

Players[link]

For the complete list of Miami Heat players see: Miami Heat all-time roster.

For the players drafted by the Miami Heat, see: Miami Heat draft history.

Current roster[link]

Former players[link]

• Jamal Mashburn (1997–2000) — Mashburn was a key member of the Heat's four consecutive Atlantic Division championship teams.
• Alonzo Mourning (1995–2001, 2004–2008) — Mourning is the holder of several franchise records, rebounds (4807), and blocks (1625). His 9459 points were the most in franchise history until Dwyane Wade passed him on March 14, 2009. Mourning made five all-star games as member of the team and won two Defensive Player of The Year awards (1999, 2000).
• Shaquille O'Neal (2004–2008) — O'Neal was a key figure to the Heat's consecutive runs to the Conference Finals in 2005 and 2006 with a championship run in the 2006 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
• Glen Rice (1989–1995)  — After averaging 13.6 points per game his rookie season Rice averaged more than 20 ppg for his remaining five seasons in Miami. The team made two trips to the playoffs during Rice's tenure. Rice was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in the deal that brought Alonzo Mourning to the Heat. Rice currently holds the single-game team record for points scored (56 vs. ORL on April 15, 1995).
• Rony Seikaly (1988–1994) – Was selected ninth as the franchise's first ever draft pick. Set numerous first records for the Heat. Named Most Improved Player in 1990, the Heat's first ever NBA individual or team award.
• Tim Hardaway (1996–2001) — Hardaway led the Heat to some of the franchise's best seasons and is their all-time leader in three point field goals (806). His jersey #10 was retired at American Airlines Arena on October 28, 2009.

Basketball Hall of Famers[link]

• Pat Riley (head coach) (2008)

Retired and honored numbers[link]

The Heat have retired three numbers, although only two of the players played for the franchise. Pat Riley retired Michael Jordan's signature #23 before his final game in Miami during the 2002–03 season as a tribute to his career.^[19] Miami retired Alonzo Mourning's #33 during a halftime ceremony on March 30, 2009.^[20] On October 28, 2009, Tim Hardaway's #10 jersey was retired during the Heat's 2009–10 season opener against the New York Knicks.^[21]

During the 2005–06 season the organization honored Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino's #13 in respect of his contributions to the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL).^[22] However, the #13 jersey is not retired and still available to use by the Heat players.

Retired numbers:^[23]

• #10 Tim Hardaway
• #33 Alonzo Mourning
• #23 Michael Jordan – Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards

Honored numbers:

• #13 Dan Marino – Miami Dolphins (NFL)

Head coaches[link]

Pat Riley coached the Heat to the NBA championship in the 2006 NBA Finals.

There have been six head coaches for the Heat franchise. The franchise's first head coach was Ron Rothstein, who served for three seasons with the Heat. Pat Riley, having coached the Heat for eleven seasons, is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (849), the most regular-season game wins (454), the most playoff games coached (50), and the most playoff-game wins (26); Stan Van Gundy is the franchise's all-time leader for the highest winning percentage in the regular season (.605). Riley is the only Heat head coach to be named one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history,^[24] to have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award, having won it in the 1996–97 season,^[25] to have won the NBA championship with the Miami Heat (2006),^[26] and to have been elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach, having been elected into the Hall of Fame in 2008.^[27] Erik Spoelstra is the only Heat head coach to have spent his entire NBA coaching career with the Heat, and has been the head coach of the Heat since 2008.^[28] The Heat's general manager were Lewis Schaffel (1988–1995), Dave Wohl (1995–1996), Randy Pfund (1996–2008) and Pat Riley named NBA Executive of the Year in 2011.

Franchise Accomplishments and Awards[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Franchise Leaders[link]

Individual Awards[link]

NBA All-Star selections[link]

• Dwyane Wade – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
• Alonzo Mourning – 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002
• Shaquille O'Neal – 2005, 2006, 2007
• Tim Hardaway – 1997, 1998
• LeBron James – 2011, 2012
• Chris Bosh – 2011, 2012
• Anthony Mason – 2001
• Stan Van Gundy – 2005 (As coach.)

References[link]

External links[link]

Miami portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Miami Heat

• Miami Heat official website