If you ask a modern NBA fan about the top of the franchise hierarchy, they will likely mention names such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and last of all, the Miami Heat. Of all these teams, however, no franchise has seen as much of a drastic change as the Miami Heat, going from the bottom of the league in its early years to claiming multiple championship banners within 3 decades. Meanwhile, the other teams have either dominated a specific time period, had success within numerous eras, or had a few stretches of utmost dominance. In the case of Miami however, this is far from the truth.
The franchise was brought into existence a lot later than the other aforementioned teams, but taking time to adjust to the league didn't hinder it from reaching success in the coming years, as they were able to make the playoffs on a consistent basis in only their 7th year. While they found themselves in a pickle during many seasons in between, factors out of their control had impeded the Heat from making any significant strides. Other than that, the Heat were able to garner success during many periods of time.
During some of these stretches, the Heat managed to clinch the playoffs consistently and claimed a couple of titles, including 2006, 2012, 2013. While you may argue this isn't quite as impressive and notable as the achievements of other clubs like Boston, Los Angeles, or San Antonio, the way they went from nothing to one of the premier franchises of the league within just 30 years is nothing short of sensational. Let's see how they did it.
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The year is 1988.
The Los Angeles Lakers just came off a dominant showing in the 1987 NBA season, and the league was peaking in terms of interest, which was attributed to the rift between stars Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the TV broadcasting contract for TBS and TNT, and the growing expansion of basketball. While the league had started to pick up off the ground, there were still some major complaints coming from the fans' side of things, and that included the lack of new franchises to the NBA.
Even though the number had grown a lot through the decades, there were plenty of cities looking to home a franchise, and of these cities was none other than Miami. Despite competition from other potential teams such as Orlando, Miami was the team chosen to be added to the league, and this was all thanks to efforts from Billy Cunningham, Lewis Schaffel, and financial contributions from Carnival Cruise Lines founder Ted Arison.
Once the foundation was set, all that was left to do was to find an official team name, and this process took only a couple of months through surveying, before the name “Miami Heat” was finalized. While the city of Orlando was going to set up shop for a team of their own, the Heat were bypassed to play their first season in 1988, while Orlando would be set for 1989. In the expansion draft, the Heat added some solid players who had some potential to be consistent starters, but other than that, they had minimal talent. Given how it was the franchise’s first season, it came as no surprise that they only won a few games, and they ended up going 15-67.
On the roster, their production came from Kevin Edwards and Rory Sparrow, both of which averaged just under 15 points per game on putrid efficiency (-6.2 and -8.8 TS respectively) en route to an offensive rating of 97.8 and net rating of -11.2, ranking dead last in both statistics.
While it was understandable considering the circumstance, it was likely that Miami would take a hefty amount of time to get on its own two feet, especially since that was a trend for any new team. On the flip side, the Magic were also finding trouble adjusting to the league, but it was a sure thing that it would take both these young franchises time to find its place within the league hierarchy.
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In the following two years, Miami didn’t make significant improvement in any way, but they did take Glen Rice with the #4 overall pick, a prolific scorer from Michigan. Not only did they have lots to look forward to, but their franchise had become a little bit younger in comparison to the year prior, and this would help in the coming years.
You see, the Heat were barely making strides in terms of success, but they had the tools to build a winning culture if they added the right pieces and hired the right guys to get the job done. From winning 15 games, they went up to 24 games within the first 3 years, but after this, things got spicy down in Miami. Following these 3 years of mediocrity early on, the Heat found themselves in better shape heading into the 1991-1992 NBA season.
Glen Rice was making improvements and slowly became more accustomed to the environment there, and his steady and gradual rise would help Miami make jumps on a seasonal basis. In 1991-1992, Rice averaged 22.3 PPG on +3.1 rTS, and having 6 other players averaging double figure points certainly helped their case too. While the scoring was improved and the offensive rating leaped from worst in the league to 19th (among 27), its defense ranked as one of the worst in the game, and that hurt their Net RTg as well.
Fortunately, Miami won 8 more games than expected, and were able to clinch a playoff berth in only its fourth season of existence, something that nobody saw coming. While they were quickly disposed of by the commanding Chicago Bulls team, this achievement of making the playoffs was more than enough to raise the spirits of Glen and company.
In the next season, things didn’t improve much at all, matter of fact, they sort of had a worse campaign to the prior season. While they didn’t bar any significant losses down the road, guys like Kevin Edwards played 40 of the 82 games thanks to a plethora of minor injuries, something which hindered their overall scoring for a lot. During stretches, it looked as if they were completely out of sync and their mediocre days were upon them, and they had many losing streaks of 4 or more games. Glen Rice seemed to decline too, as he went from 22.3 points per game to 19.0 without making any improvements at all, including a dip in efficiency (-2.7 TS).
Following this mediocre year, the Heat managed to put the league on notice, as they ranked 7th and 11th in ORtg and DRtg overall, which was a huge jump from previous years. This was all thanks to the the consistent scoring trio of Glen Rice, Steve Smith, and Rony Seikaly, of which all averaged 15+ points on respectable efficiency. In this campaign, Rony’s two-way ability was put on full display, as he averaged 1.4 blocks and was a disruptive center all through the year (played 72 games).
In 1994-1995, the Miami Heat no longer had Kevin Edwards and Rony Seikaly, both of which had been a staple of the best Miami Heat teams, which culminated in the offense-rating dipping to 14th and the defense-rating going from 11th to 16th. Glen had previously signed a veteran extension in the 1994 offseason too, and this secured his place on a Miami team looking to become a playoff-team in the coming years. Once the season had come to a conclusion, a set of changes would come soon after.
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In the offseason of 1995, the Miami Heat were on the lookout for coaches to manage the team, as the previous two who handled the job weren’t quite suitable for the role. No matter, the Heat were able to hire Pat Riley, a highly praised and well-respected head coach who was known for his ability to completely transform the culture of any team, including the Showtime Lakers and Ewing led Knicks. It was no different when he came to Miami, and this was noticeable through his intervention in the Free Agency decisions. From the moment he landed in Miami, he was helping the GM pulling off moves with a sense of urgency, and his expertise on the matter was bar to none.
In a series of aggressive moves, the Heat ended up trading sniper Glen Rice along with Matt Geiger, Khalid Reeves, and a 1996 first-round pick (Tony Delk later) to the Hornets in exchange for LeRon Ellis, Pete Myers, and two time all-star Alonzo Mourning. This move was almost franchise altering, given just how much potential Rice had, but Mourning had equally as much potential thanks to his monstrous, imposing physique and stifling defense. Neither were your run-of-the-mill type of guys, both were players who had a rather staggering ceiling, and if under the right coach and system, they could improve exponentially.
It seemed that Riley bought into the rim protection of Zo, and him playing a part in these deals made it clear that he wanted to bring a well-defined defensive culture that funneled players into the paint. Following this, Miami made a mid-season move in which they received Tim Hardaway from Golden State, and all they needed to give away was pretty much an injury-prone and aging Kevin Willis. Hardaway was known to be a floor general with stellar passing abilities, and this type of pairing of him along with Zo would lead to more success than ever before.
In the 1995-1996 season, Alonzo averaged 23.2 points, 2.7 blocks, and 10.4 rebounds on +4.2 rTS, meanwhile Hardaway played well enough in 28 games to push them into the playoffs. Though Chicago took care of business in 3 games, this is the 72-10 Bulls we’re talking about, so this loss wasn’t nothing short of expected. In terms of how things were looking in the future, they had some potential within them. The combination of Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning had been potent from the start, and they were lethal in not only PnR's, but Hardaway would dump it down to Zo who would consistently finish at the rim. It also be mentioned that Alonzo was still 25 years of age and Hardaway still had some good years left in the tank.
From this season to 1996-1997, the Heat made a significant leap in every area possible. They went from 42 wins in 1996 to reaching the 60-win mark in 1997, and this was all thanks to the all-rounded defense Miami had cultivated in South Beach. Of course, Alonzo was the anchor and the engine that kept things running, but it was additions of Dan Marjerle, Jamal Mashburn, and PJ Brown that added more versatility to that side of the ball. This culminated in garnering a defensive rating of 100.6, which put them atop the league in the statistic, just barely ahead of the New York Knicks. Offensively, the aforementioned additions added more depth in the scoring department, but still were barely ranked above the middle of the pack in offensive rating.
When the playoffs rolled around, many expected an Eastern Conference matchup between the well-oiled machine that was the Chicago Bulls and the 2nd-seeded Miami Heat. Although the Bulls still had their prominent big three and myriad of role players governed by Phil Jackson, the up and coming Miami Heat had what it took to upset the top dog. In the first-round, the Heat took care of business against a Orlando Magic squad that had just lost the game-changing Shaquille O’Neal, and went on to face the New York Knicks who had the 2nd best defense in the game.
This series was tightly-contested until Game 7, but Tim Hardaway’s 38 point outing helped them reach the Eastern Finals for the first time in franchise history.
In this series, they were pitted against none other than the Chicago Bulls, and this looked to be the marquee matchup for fans around the country - or so they thought. What people overlooked was the gritty, hard-wearing defense of Dennis Rodman, somebody who had proven to be an integral part of the Bulls dominant run. In this series, Alonzo was held to a mere 15.6 points per game on average efficiency, and Hardaway was unable to get going either.
While the Heat had cooked up a formula for success, the Bulls were too big of an obstacle to overcome. What this Heat team didn’t realize was, this was the perfect opportunity to take down this formidable Bulls team, as it was the Jazz who came out of the West, and the Heat had the tools to beat that team. Even so, it was quite a sensational season for this Heat team, and the ethos of team-basketball still prevailed, despite them losing in the ECF.
Following this mark achieved by the Alonzo Mourning led Heat, things didn’t quite take flight, as they were met with playoff defeats on a routinely basis. While they had consistently clinched the playoffs and stood atop their division year in and year out, they never got the pieces to push them into title contention nor did their younger players make any progressions worthy of praise. What came to follow was the deterioration of Tim Hardaway, and soon after the loss of all-star center Alonzo Mourning, once he decided to join the Nets. Fortunately for them, they would be adding one of the greatest shooting guards of all time within a couple of years, and this is where the journey begins to take shape.
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Following an egregious 2002-2003 season where Miami won a mere 25 games, the Heat wound up earning the 5th overall pick in the 2003 Draft -- a class that went down in history. With a top-heavy class filled to the brim with talent, the Heat would likely be steered in the right direction given their selection. With their 5th pick they went with flashy guard Dwayne Wade from Marquette, and this move was respectable without a doubt.
In his first campaign, Wade was playing with loads of pressure on his shoulders already, and many in Miami expected him to change the landscape and outlook of the franchise. This year, he averaged a classic 16.2 points, but surprisingly shot above league average at +1.6 rTS.
Usually, when players first get out on the court, they tend to be a bit sporadic compared to college, but of course, this is due to an atmospheric change.
In the case of Wade, it seemed that he made quite a smooth transition to the NBA, and simple tweaking and fine tuning of his game could turn him into one of the finest players in the league. What came as a shock was the fact that Miami not only made the playoffs, but reached the semis in the same run, and the Heat weren’t even all that great offensively. Their defense had been a staple of the team’s success, but in no way did anyone expect this type of improvement from the previous year’s disaster.
What followed was the trade acquisition that landed them dominant center Shaquille O’Neal, an absolute behemoth who was accumulating multiple MVP-level campaigns to his name. In exchange, the Lakers packaged Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a first-round pick that, well, ended up being quite useless.
To put it bluntly, the Heat were able to add a premier center who was still amongst the best while the Lakers were able to break up a decaying relationship between Shaq and Kobe. Although it worked out for both parties, it was clear that the addition of Shaq would prove to be more of a factor going forward.
In their first year paired together, they led Miami to 59 wins, which was highest in the Eastern Conference, along with a top 7 ORtg and DRtg which culminated in a Net Rtg of 7.1 (3rd of 30). Shaq and Wade averaged roughly 20 points per game respectively, and gave them confidence heading into the playoffs.
Though they were able to cruise through the first two rounds with relatively no problems, they had quite a tough matchup in the ECF. They were pitted against a well-rounded Pistons team with notable defensive capabilies, and were able to earn the 2nd seed during the regular season.
While we had seen this movie play out before in the 2003-2004 NBA Finals, where a Pistons team was able to negate O’Neal’s dominance with a gameplanof their own, and defeated the Lakers in only 5 games. This time around, Shaq played relatively well despite the man opposed to him being a stalwart on that end, and this culminated in him averaging 20.6 points on solid efficiency.
Wade, however, had a TS of 51.9% in a very crucial series, and that certainly didn’t help. In the end, Detroit won this series in gritty game 7, and eliminated the newly formed Heat. The loss wasn’t easy to process by any means, but the Heat were still right there, and all it took was a tiny push forward.
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In 2005-2006, the tides began to change, and the Heat were still in the running for another deep playoff run.
Once the regular-season wound down, Dwyane Wade became the cream of the crop within only a couple of months, and this was due to his leap from the 2005 season to 2006. In this year, he averaged 27.2 points per game on +4.1 rTS, along with 7.6 assists as well. Meanwhile, Shaq maintained his all-NBA level production averaging a solid 20/9 with an rTS of +5.2, and still had juice left in him.
The Heat would rank top 10 in both ORtg and DRtg and looked to be in prime position for a deeper run compared to before. In the first two rounds, they were able to dispose of the pesky Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets, where Wade averaged 26.2 and had his shining moments too. Following this was a rematch of last year’s tight conference finals, and this time, the Heat bested the Pistons in 6 games. What made this win so convincing was the stellar defense from O’Neal, as his shot-blocking came in clutch in many situations, culminating to a total of 14 blocks in the series.
In the Finals, they were rivaled by Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks, a team that relied mostly on their offensive scheme that resulted in the league-best ORtg, partly due to Nowitzki’s historic scoring and guys like Jason Terry rounding out the roster. This was bound to be one of the most intriguing series in the entire playoffs, especially with how talented both sides were.
What resulted was consecutive stretches of dominance from both teams, as the Mavs pounced on the Heat at home to claim a stronghold on the series, but what was to come is nothing short of controversial, even to this day. The Heat would go on to string together a 4-game winning streak to win the series 4-2, and it seemed as if there had strings were being pulled.
To begin, many fans have speculated that the refs were intentionally gifting Wade free throws in an attempt to rig the series, and when looking at the numbers, it does look a bit iffy. Throughout the series, Wade averaged a stunning 16.6 FTA’s per game, something not even some all time great scoring machines would match. Regardless of what you think, when laying down the facts, we can understand that Wade was incredibly aggressive and did earn some of his fouls without question.
The Heat were able to win 4 straight games despite being in a 0-2 hole to a potent Mavs team, and it was nothing short of amazing. This was when Miami had finally reached the top of the world, claiming what was rightfully theirs. Going through many changes and constant shuffling of staff, the Heat had their superstar of the future and had a magnificent playoff run.
From here on out, we know how the dominos fell. Dwyane Wade had one of the greatest individual seasons for a shooting-guard and arguably the 3rd best Heat season ever. LeBron James came to the Miami Heat and helped them claim 2 more championship banners. Now, they have a young squad of studs led by Jimmy Butler, and could very well make the Finals and add another ring to their collection.
Does this make the Heat the greatest, most glorious franchise in existence? I doubt it. Does this make them the most overlooked and scrutinized franchise? Not at all. But it goes to show how a constant fluctuation of changes can go a long way, and all it takes is for a franchise to trust their GM and staff to construct a winning team. Yes, the process is draining and takes a lot of patience, but in time, the pieces will begin to fall in place.
This is the story of the Miami Heat, a franchise that was formed out of the best interest of two important men, but went on to find success within only its first few years of existence. There are franchises much older than the Heat, yet they have had little to no success throughout their history. While some will mention their market as a leading factor for this prosperity, the Heat created a culture from scratch - a culture that continues to produce winning basketball even today.
Thanks for reading!