d h h k b ll Glory Days B asketball was invented in Massachusetts in the 1890s as a sport that could be played indoors during the winter A century later the game was being played 365 days a year inside and outside all over the United States and all over the world During the 1980s the National Basketball Association NBA announced that it would place a new team in Florida a state where many people go to escape winter weather The Miami Heat joined the league for the 1988 89 season The Heat struggled losing their first 17 games in a row No team in any sport had ever started so poorly Miami improved as the season went on but the team finished with just 15 victories There was one good thing about being so bad In the NBA the teams that lose the most get the top picks in the draft each spring Over the next few years the Heat were able to build a 6
competitive roster Their young stars included Glen Rice Steve Smith Grant Long Sherman Douglas and Rony Seikaly The final pieces of the puzzle came together during the 1995 96 season Pat Riley was hired to coach the Heat and center Alonzo Mourning joined the team and became the leader on the court Midway through the season Miami traded for Tim Hardaway a lightning-quick point guard with a knack for making big shots The following season the Heat won 61 games and fell just short of making it to the NBA Finals Once the Heat found a winning formula they began to add players who fit in with their style They won by playing rugged defense and wearing down their opponents Their victories were not always pretty but Heat fans appreciated their hard-working players When opponents came to Miami they knew they would be in for the fight of their lives Over the next few LEFT Rony Seikaly starred for the Heat in their early years ABOVE Alonzo Mourning fit in perfectly with Miami’s rugged defensive style 7
years the Heat continued to seek the right mix of players for their first championship In 2003 Miami drafted guard Dwyane Wade He developed into one of the NBA’s best all-around players In 2004 Miami traded for center Shaquille O’Neal who proved to be a great match for Wade This pair led Miami to 59 wins in 2004 05 In the playoffs the Heat pushed the Detroit Pistons to Game 7 of the finals of the Eastern Conference They led the deciding game with three minutes left but the Pistons came back to win A few weeks later the Heat were part of the biggest trade in league history Five teams exchanged 13 players Miami picked up Antoine Walker James Posey and Jason Williams The team also signed veteran Gary Payton Finally the Heat had the winning combination Riley returned to the sidelines to coach the team and Miami went all the way to the NBA Finals The Heat defeated the LEFT Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade led the Heat to their first championship ABOVE Pat Riley’s return to the sidelines was another key to Miami’s 2006 title 9
