A TEAM ON THE RISE !! WELCOME HEATWAGON MANY PEOPLE DID’NT THINK WOULD MAKE IT THIS FAR
All-season long, Miami bid its time as a team on the rise powered by its underdog mentality and personified by a controversial leader, a Fil-American underrated head coach, veterans with chips on their shoulders, and a collection of young bad-asses.
This ragtag team down in Miami that includes Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Goran Fragic, Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk – none of those guys even drafted in the top 10. But yet, this group of stubborn, headstrong, and fearless present-day Heatles, magnetized by a coach whose mastermind should be considered the best in the NBA, is on its way to the Eastern Conference Final since 2014. Just think about that for a second. How many people actually thought the Miami Heat would make it this far? Back in June,“worldwide-leader-in-sports” ESPN forecasted Miami with a 2.9% chance to make the conference finals. Above them were the Philadelphia 78ers (23.6%), who were swept by the Toronto Raptors (32.4%), whose postseason could soon be at the end, the Bosron Celtics (41.2%), who’s likely next to face Miami and the Milwaukee Bucks (100%), who should have been given the broom in Game 4. So you believe it now? If yes, welcome to the Heatwagon..!! If not that’s perfectly fine. A closer look at this ragtag team compose of very young talents and old reliable veterans reveal..Tyler Herro – an afterthought in the NBA Draft – has become the first kid (do we still call him that?) born in the 2000s to advance to the conference finals. He’s only 20-years-old, still with room for growth, and was pretty much the best player on the court as Miami closed out Milwaukee in Game 5. The trade deadline acquisition of Andre Iguodala and Crowder was a stroke of genius from a man rightfully nicknamed “The Godfather,” Pat Riley, which should come as no surprise seeing as no other executive in the NBA can boast of a better winning resume in all levels of basketball, or a better slicked back hairstyle. How about Dragic? He was acquired by the Heat back in 2015, the answer to a post-LeBron life, only to watch that team’s aspirations go down the drain with Chris Bosh’s life-threatening health issues and Dwyane Wade’s contentious departure. Duncan Robinson? This guy was playing Division III basketball, went undrafted, and nearly gave up on his NBA dream. What other teams saw as “not good enough,” Miami viewed as something possible to work with, and with help from the Heat’s league-best development team, the man Stephen A. Smith now calls “a specialist” is the best shooter left in the bubble. Adebayo has grown into a do-it-all All-Star who will one day be close to what Giannis Antetokounmpo is today, if not better. Did you see those smooth jumpers fall through the net like teardrops? And how about Jimmy G. Buckets, huh? It takes a lot of bravado to give yourself that nickname and state that the “G” means “gets,” and it sure takes a lot of guts to look at the back-to-back MVP’s teammates and scream, “he can’t guard me.” Giannis couldn’t. Butler was homeless when he was a teenager, barely recruited out of high school, and had little-to-no expectations as a 30th pick-NBA youngling. Now, he’s one of the top stars in the NBA, and in the running for playoff closers you’d want to have the ball as the pressure mounts to its highest. His reputation as a bad teammate? Well, with each passing game, Chicago, Minnesota, and Philly look like the actual losers from the divorces. All he needed was the setting – or should I say “culture?” – to nurture his maniac-like level of competitiveness. Down in South Beach, he found the perfect “goons” to pair that up with. After all, it’s fun when you find someone whose crazy matches yours. Will Miami go all the way? It’s still tough to say. Can they” Now that’s a yes. Everything from here on out is gravy, because when Game 1 against either the Celtics or Raptors tips off, it will already exceed prior expectations for this team. #