Miami Heat in 2023: Can they repeat their NBA Finals appearance?

In 2023, the Heat reached the NBA grand finals. This year he wants to repeat./ EFE

Photo: EFE – BOB PEARSON

The performance of the Miami Heat in this century has been very remarkable. In 24 seasons played to date, they have participated in the Playoffs 19 times, managing to reach the final grand final seven times and winning three titles. The first ring came from the hand of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and the technical direction of Pat Riley in 2006

For the 2010-2011 season, already under the orders of Erik Spoelstra, they managed to seduce the most coveted free agent of the moment: LeBron James. On April 9, 2010, a historic Thursday night, the “King” stated: “I have decided to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.” With the arrival of him, and that of Chris Bosh, from the Toronto Raptors, they established a winning and dominant culture in the NBA. four consecutive finals and two more rings for the showcase of those from South Florida.

Unfortunately, in 2014 LeBron decided to return to Cleveland and fulfill his promise of bringing the first ring to the city that welcomed him to the NBA. Miami felt his absence immediately and had a losing record the following year after reaching the Finals. However, already with three championship rings, a globally recognized brand and a gaming culture established by Spoelstra, the Heat remained relevant and fighting with what they had, which in terms of names, was very little.

Despite not achieving important results, the franchise led by Pat Riley began to mesh young pieces through drafts and development leagues. Of their picks, they got Justise Winslow, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. And they continued to add free players who were going to be important like Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent.

Finally, with the development of the boys and the arrival of superstar Jimmy Butler, Spoelstra consolidated a competitive and balanced team. With new blood and a significant amount of experience, the Miami Heat returned to the NBA finals in 2020. An atypical season, played in an improvised bubble, at the Disney sports complexes in Orlando, Florida. Despite the effort and beating their rivals without reaching seven games, they lost the final against the Lakers of, precisely, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) eluding Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat).

Photo: EFE Agency

The historic 2023 Playoffs

After losing the 2020 final, the Heat managed to reaffirm their hierarchy in the league and have once again been a protagonist in the Playoffs since then. In 2021 they lost in the first round against a devastating Milwaukee Bucks, who would end up being league champions that year. In 2022 they reached the conference finals and in an exciting seven-game series, they lost against the Boston Celtics, but later they would have their revenge.

Entering the 2023 season, the Miami Heat were once again favorites to lead the Eastern Conference alongside the Boston Celtics. They managed to maintain the core of players that led the previous campaign, and mid-season they added the experienced NBA champion Kevin Love.

The start of the season was not the best, in their first 20 games they achieved a record of nine wins and 11 losses. And so their performance continued, quite irregular and putting their postseason aspirations in danger. At the close of the regular championship they finished eighth, forcing them to play the first playoff game to ensure qualification for the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. They lost the game 105-116 and were forced to beat the Chicago Bulls, who were coming off a victory against the Toronto Raptors, to qualify.

The game against Chicago was intense. With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Heat trailed by one point. But a surge of scoring, led by Butler and Max Strauss, generated a streak of 12 consecutive points to give Miami the victory 102-91 and secure eighth place in the East to face the number one in the conference: Milwaukee Bucks.

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The last time they met in the playoffs, in 2021, the Bucks crushed the Heat with a resounding 4-0 in the first round. Furthermore, in history only five teams had managed to defeat the first in the conference, being the eighth ranked team. The Heat were on a mission to be sixth.

In the first two games in Milwaukee the victories were shared, one for each team. In Miami, the Heat knew how to take advantage of home field and won two consecutive home games to return to the Bucks’ stadium with a 3-1 lead. Despite being on the ropes, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team fought until the end. On the last play of game 4, with the Heat down two points, Butler made an acrobatic basket to tie the game and force overtime. In aggregate, Miami beat its rival 128-126 and advanced to the next round.

In the conference semifinals, they met the New York Knicks. The team of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle were having a formidable season and wanted to continue showing their high level against the Miami Heat. those led by Spoelstra achieve a 3-1 advantage; However, the Knicks did not give up and won the fifth game, leaving the series 3-2. In game six, the New York team continued to press the accelerator and was not resigned to giving up the series. With 20 seconds left in the game, the Knicks were two points down and in possession; Unfortunately for Brunson, he made a mistake in a pass that cost the New York team the loss of the ball and gave the Heat a ticket to the conference finals.

In the finals, they would star in the rematch of the previous year, in which the Boston Celtics won the series 4-3. With the thirst for revenge and the emotional drive to eliminate the best in the East, the Heat hit the table by taking the first two games as a visitor and leaving open the opportunity to finish the series at home. They fulfilled their first task and won the third game, but in the fourth game was the resurgence of the Celtics and against all odds, they won three consecutive games and took the series to the seventh game. The bets favored Boston, the game was at home, they had won three in a row and, in theory, they had a better squad. But in reality, the game was the opposite. Miami took a considerable lead early on the scoreboard, achieving victory and passage to the NBA finals.

Miami (United States), 28/05/2023.- Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams (L) and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (R) wait for a rebound during the first half of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference Finals playoff game six between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, USA, 27 May 2023. (Baloncesto, Estados Unidos) EFE/EPA/RHONA WISE SHUTTERSTOCK OUT

Photo: EFE – RHONA WISE

The Heat’s heroics looked like something out of a movie. In the grand final they had to finish the job by defeating the best in the league: the Denver Nuggets. The series started with a 1-1, but they looked much superior to the Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray team. After losing the second game, Denver increased the intensity and dominated the Heat in the next three games and won the title for the first time in NBA history.

Surely Miami’s 2022-2023 season will be forgotten for not finishing champion, but it is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding performances in the playoffs in recent years. Now, in 2024, they are in a similar situation. They are the eighth seed and will play the first game of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. The question is, can the Heat’s culture surprise again and advance to the Finals?

The culture of the Heat

The culture of the Florida team has been marked by two important characters who gave the team an identity since its arrival in the league in 1995: Pat Riley and Erick Spoelstra.

Riley, a historic player in the NBA, even before arriving in Miami. He coached the Lakers during the 1980s, the famous Los Angeles Showtime that dazzled for several years and won four NBA trophies. As a player he had a solid ten-year career and won a championship ring in 1972 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 1995 he was named president of operations and coach of the Miami Heat. His arrival meant the beginning of an era with a winning and highly competitive mentality. To impose this new culture on the team, I implemented “the code”, a manifesto that is given to each player at the beginning of the season, and contains this phrase: “We want to be the strongest workers, the best physically conditioned, the most professional, most selfless, strongest, dirtiest, most hated and the best team in the NBA.”

Not only was it the code that Riley promoted, the winning mentality he brought to the organization was critical. Since its arrival, the team has sought to compete, whatever it has.

One of the flagship flags established was physical conditioning. “The least we can ask of the players is that they be in excellent physical condition,” Riley said. As part of the highly competitive culture, on the doors of the team facilities it is written: “Mouthguard, knee pads and rib protector” for the president, training must be contact and as intense as possible. With the intention of avoiding injuries, players are reminded to use these protective equipment in training. “Practice should be stronger than games.”

The rules were established for all players, without exception. When Shaquille O’Neal arrived she had to adapt to Riley’s style. In the last season with the Lakers, and being one of the most dominant figures in the league, he weighed 400 pounds. His arrival in Miami forced him to work on his body and lower him to 315 pounds.

In 2008, Riley decided to step aside to focus fully on operations and appointed an unknown as technical director: Erick Spoelstra. The Riley student did not play in the NBA and played only two seasons as a professional in basketball in Germany. His journey was not the most common among NBA coaches. After his brief career as a professional player, he returned to the United States in 1995 to be part of the Miami Heat organization as a video analyst, where he stood out for his performance and efficiency in his work, editing and compiling game plays. .

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After several years analyzing and editing videos for the coaching staff, he moved on to the recruiting division and the search for new stars. His technical and game analysis contributions continued to bring him closer to technical direction. In the 2005-2006 season he was appointed assistant coach by Riley and they won the first NBA title for the Heat.

Upon being named coach in 2008, he developed his personal seal, formed by thousands of hours watching plays and understanding the dynamics of the game. His passion for the sport managed to combine with LeBron James’ thirst for championships and they achieved two NBA titles, which catapulted them as legends of the institution. Spoelstra maintains his project, despite the turnover of players, and it is what has captivated players like Jimmy Butler, who had a troubled past on his previous teams. He is now the leader of the group and has had his best performances as a professional.

Today Spoelstra’s name is more than recognized and respected in the league. He is the most important and winning coach in the history of the Heat, leading them to six finals and two NBA championships.

Juan Carlos Becerra Sepúlveda (@Juanbecerra24 – [email protected])

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2024-04-17 17:30:00
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