NBA: Miami Heat’s all time top rated teams
The 2005-06 squad is undoubtedly of one of the best Miami squads. The team brought the most prestigious prize in the sport that is The Championship title to Miami after 18 years, consisting of star players with the likes of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal in it. However, the squads preceding the winning combination showed promise but none were able to win and be crowned the Champions for all long period in Miami Heat history.
All had the same aim, that is also every basketball player’s dream to become a part of history have his name written in history as the Champions. Though there are a number of teams with outstanding performances and results but the top 5 would be discussed. However, the Miami Heat squad at times was stronger on paper but they underperformed, failing to achieve the ultimate prize, which every sport has and in this case being the NBA Championship.
The number 5 spot is occupied by the 1995-96 squad, which saw Pat Riley the former New York Knicks join Miami Heat to act not only as the president, manager but also as the head coach.
He brought in players by making smart draft picks and built a team consisting Glen Rice, Alonzo Mourning. He also bought in players like Tim Hardaway, he along with Mourning became the best scoring pair in the history, and Heat changed and was in the running for the title race. This season saw Heat going to maintain a 40-42 record with the trade deals proving to be the cause of the Heat’s success. The 1995-96, although not as successful as the following seasons but has its importance due to the fact that it laid the foundation of what Miami Heat is right now.
The 2003-04 saw Dwayne Wade being drafted to Heat and Wade accompanied by players like Lamar Odom and Rasual Butler formed the core of the Miami Heat defence and offense. However, the team had no expectations due to the new players being drafted in and not much was expected from then but as the season progressed, the Heat put on a very good show and was seeded 4th in the Eastern Conference.
The favourites suffered defeat from the Heat with the likes of New Orleans and saw Wade at the top of his game. Miami progressed smoothly when they were knocked out by Indiana Pacers in the next round.
2004 -05 seasons saw Shaquille O’Neal being traded to Miami Heat greatly impressed by Wade’s post season’s campaign. The trade saw players like Odam, Butler and Grant being traded and therefore made the fans somewhat grieved by the fact. Shaquille O’Neal responding to the reaction of the fans promised a title for the Heat. The season saw both O’Neal and Wade achieve personal milestones and on the other hand, Miami went on a run in which they had a 8-0 run in the first two rounds but were knocked out of contention by the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.
The second spot is occupied by the 1996-97 squad, which was one of the rough as well as tough squads ever to have come on court for the Miami Heat. This was the reason that the Miami Heat was top defensive team of the season, as they had no fear. After winning just one game out of the first 4 games, Heat managed to pull their way from the jaws of defeat, managed to pull off an amazing series win, and progressed to the Conference finals. The Heat lost to the Bulls in the conference finals and the Bulls later went on to claim the title.
Top of the list is occupied by the 2005-06 squad, even though the Heat lost the Eastern Conference finals in 2005. They worked hard and managed 59 game win in 2004-05 but did not achieve what they had been expected to. The trades and players failed to achieve what they were expected to and there came a time, when the team was regarded as over rated by some.
However, all the criticism came to an end when the Heat won the title in 2006. The season consisted of Miami wins over the Detroit Pistons to reach the finals. Wade’s performance throughout the season was remarkable and was one that became a part of the NBA history. Finally, the Heat had won what they so dearly wanted. The NBA finals saw Heat appear in their first finals for a long time and not only claim the title but also came to be known as one the greatest in the sport.
Tags: