Miami Heat, the Heat joined the NBA when the NBA expanded in 1988. They also entered the NBA with the Magic, Timberwolves and Hornets. After experiencing difficulties in the first few seasons, the Heat began to become one of the strong teams in the Eastern Conference. In the 1995-1996 season, the famous NBA coach and "Magic Calculator" Pat Riley became the head coach of the Heat, bringing a strong spirit to the Heat, making them one of the most tenacious teams in the NBA.
1988-1989 was the Heat's debut season, and Ron Rothstein was the first head coach. The Heat only achieved a poor record of 15 wins and 67 losses. Edwards is the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points per game. In the 1989-1990 season, the Heat changed from the Midwest Division to the Atlantic Division. In the draft, they selected Glenn Rice in the first round. The Heat's performance is still very poor, with 18 wins and 64 losses, still far away from the playoffs.
After three failed seasons, the Heat entered the playoffs for the first time in the 1991-1992 season. Kevin Loghery was the head coach at the time. After the regular season, the Heat entered the playoffs with 38 wins and 44 losses, eighth in the Eastern Conference. But the Heat met the Bulls, who were at their peak at the time, and were eliminated without winning a game.
Since then, the Heat have changed several head coaches, but it was not until Pat Riley became the head coach in the 1995-1996 season that the Heat were reborn and became a strong team in the Eastern Conference.
In September 1995, Pat Riley came from the Knicks and was appointed head coach and president by the Heat. After Riley took office, the team underwent a drastic reorganization, and All-Star centers Alonzo Mouring, LeRon Ellis and Pete Myers were exchanged from the Hornets. In his first season coaching the Heat, Riley led the team back into the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Heat met the Bulls, who were 72-10 at the time, in the first round and were eliminated again.
In the 1996-1997 season, the Heat became the most surprising team in the NBA. In the regular season, the Heat achieved a record of 61 wins and 21 losses, ranking first in the Atlantic Division. In the playoffs, the Heat first eliminated the Magic, then fought the Knicks in seven games, and finally reached the Eastern Conference Finals. In the game against the Knicks, the Heat fell behind 1-3, but the Heat won three consecutive games and finally came back to win. In the finals, the Heat met the Bulls again and were eliminated again.
The seeds of the hatred between the Heat and the Knicks were sown in 1997 and have only intensified since then. In the 1997-1998 season, the two teams met in the first round of the playoffs. The Heat led 2-1 in the first three games, but in the fourth game, the two teams fought with sparks. In the end, Mourning and Larry Johnson got into a fight and both were suspended. The Knicks took advantage. The Heat were eliminated in two consecutive games.
The feud between the Heat and the Knicks continues. In the 1998-1999 season, the Heat had 33 wins and 17 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference, while the Knicks only ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference. The two teams met again in the first round of the playoffs, and the Knicks won 78-77 in Game 5. , eliminating the Heat again.
In the 1999-2000 season, the Heat had 52 wins and 30 losses. They reunited with their old enemy the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. This time it was still the Heat who failed. They lost 82 to 82 in the seventh game. 83 lost.
In 2000, Mourning returned from participating in the Olympics, but was diagnosed with severe kidney disease. Since then, Mourning missed the Heat's first 69 games, but the Heat still made the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Pistons 0-3 in the first round.
In the 2001-02 season, the Heat failed to get out of the woods and their results continued to decline. The Heat only achieved 36 wins and 46 losses, missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
In the 2002-2003 season, Mourning announced his absence for the entire season before the start of the season. The Heat's strength was once again reduced, and Pat Riley had almost no available troops.
Eddie Jones and Brian Grant are still the main players, and newcomer Travis Best also takes on the starting role. Rookie Caron Butler has become the Heat's main small forward. He performed well and won the title of "Rookie of the Year" in the first month. However, the Heat's lineup is still incomplete and it is difficult to make a difference in the new season.