The last ball and triumph is being echoed by the fans of the Miami Heat in their final game today. You could feel the heat coming from the defending champion of the season. There are various speculations prior to this much anticipated match. Of course, everyone was vouching for their favorite teams. You could feel the intensity through social media sites. How much more, if you were inside the American Airlines Arena where the game was held? Miami rules when they made the final scores of 95 against San Antonio Spurs of 88. There were exciting moments that brought tension to both teams. Amidst the fact that Chris Bosh who is part of the big three of Miami was not able to bring out his best in this winner-takes-all game, the determination and efforts of Battier, James, and Wade made the conquest of this season and swept Spurs’ determination to grab the title from them. It is indeed gold for them, and as Heat fans continue to celebrate this gain, let’s get to know more other interesting facts about NBA Miami Heat.
10. On the Sides
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The Miami Heat championship makes another history in NBA. Hence, little that we know there are entertaining, funny, and unknown scores in their lives that might also interest Miami fans, and even those who oppose them. Did you know that Chicken Marsala is one of their favorite foods, although Udonis Haslem mistakenly thought that it was a French food, but it was not. Are you aware that Mike Conley Jr, Daequan Cook, and Greg Oden were part of the AAU team way back in their high school time?
9. The Current Coach – Eric Spoelstra
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This is the popular and champion coach for this NBA season from Evanston, Illinois in the United States. He is a Filipino-American since his mother is a native Filipina who is Elisa Celina, and his father is Jon Spoelstra who became an executive of NBA for Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, and Buffalo Braves. Indeed, basketball and sports do run in their veins. His career as a coach in NBA began in 2001 as a director of scouting and as assistant coach of Miami Heat that lasted until 2008 when the team officially announced that he would be the new head coach. He has replaced Pat Riley, but checking his records, he has been with the team since 1995 when he served as a video coordinator of the Miami Heat NBA.
8. Biggest Rivalries
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It marks the minds of the fans of NBA the kind of force and pressure that NBA Miami Heat has had in the series of games against San Antonio Spurs. In fact, the said team became one of the newest and toughest rivalries for this season. However, there are other rivalries that they met as they paved their way to the sweetest victory as a champion. They are New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and Indiana Pacers.
7. Jerseys
Just like other NBA teams, the Miami Heat also underwent transition when it comes to their official jersey or uniform. Since 1998 to 2013, there are 5 official jerseys that they have made and they were grouped according to the timeline where they were used below:
- 1998 to 1999 Home – A simple stripe on the side of the white shorts and jersey with a black, orange, and red trim lettering. The font that they were using is comparable on what is found on Los Angeles Lakers uniforms.
- 1988 to 1999 Away – The numbers in their uniform were orange, red, and black trim and the flaming logo of the team was placed on the left part of the shorts, and on the right side was the word Miami.
- 1999 to Present Home – There were stripes on both sides of the jerseys while the orange trim color was changed to yellow, modification of flaming logo was made, and the numbers were updated and turned it into black.
- 1999 to Present Away – The consistency of the white with red trim colors of the letters and the black uniform with stripes on the sides.
- 2001 to Present Alternate – Aside from their current white, red road, and black uniforms, they also designed an all black alternate home jersey which was actually shown in 2010 that also served as an exclusive apparel for fans of the Miami heat.
6. History
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The team was founded in 1988 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. It is owned by Micky Arison, and it is one of the members of the National Basketball Association under the Southeast Division during the Eastern Conference. The team was one of the four expansion franchisees when the NBA made a decision to expand itself, including the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and Minnesota Timberwolves, wherein the NBA Miami Heat was also the leading team that time.
5. Most Valuable Players
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Lebron James’ final score on Game 7 against Antonio Spurs is 37 with 12 rebounds making him the Most Valuable Player again in this season for the second time, and it was a back-to-back championship for him and for the team. However, there are other great players who contributed to the fame of the team such as Alonzo Mourning, Antoine Walker, Dwyane Wade, Gary Payton, Eddie Jones, Jason Williams, Lamar Odom, and of course, the legendary Shaquille O’ Neal. Dwyane Wade received the MVP award in 2006 Finals, but Miami Heat Lebron James is the third player who has won a regular season and Finals for several times, which was attained by Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.
4. Greatest Players of the Miami Heat
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As of the moment, Miami Heat’s best and greatest players are Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Ray Allen that all contributed to the victory of the team in the final showdown on game 7 against San Antonio Spurs. Other players who were also known for their performance and contribution to team served as Miami heat tickets in several triumphs that they have had such as Tim Hardaway, Rony Seikaly, Steve Smith, Brian Grant, Harold Miner, James Posey, Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, PJ Brown, Antoine Walker, Eddie Jones, Steve Smith, Glen Rice, and many more.
3. Coach of the Year Award
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Pat Riley serves as the General Manager and the Team President of Heat who was awarded as a Hall of Famer in 2008. He also received the Coach of the Year Award in NBA in 1990, 1993, and 1997, but the 1997 award was the time when he was leading the Miami Heat Team since he also handled other teams like New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, prior to the recognition given to him as Heat’s coach. He was also cited as one of the greatest coaches in the history of NBA in 1996.
2. Total Seasons Participation
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The Miami Heat participated in 25 NBA seasons including the 2012 to 2013 season. They had a total of 17 playoff appearances while missed the 8 playoffs. They considered 1989 as their worst season because of the 15-67 record while 2013 is their best season for having a 66-16 record.
1. Numbers of Miami Heat Championship
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Miami Heat earned their first championship trophy in 2006 NBA finals that was led by Dwyane Wade, who was also the MVP recipient that year. It was followed in 2012 with the final score of 121-106 on their 5th game that attributed to Lebron James who earned 26 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lastly, their sweetest ascendancy happened today against San Antonio Spurs with the final score of 95-88.