After the start of the rebuilding the team and the stepping down of Pat Riley as the head coach in the 2002-03 season, the Miami Heat looked forward to improving in the 2003-04 season by drafting Dwayne Wade as the 5th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. They entered the playoffs that season finishing 2nd in the Atlantic division with a 42-40 win-loss record and the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The Heat defeat the Hornets in the first round in seven games and found their rookie guard an emerging star. Wade continued his stellar performance in the Eastern conference semi-finals against the number 1 seeded Indiana Pacers but fell short after losing in six games. Still, Wade proved to be a success as he lead his team in scoring and assists in the postseason.
In the 2004-05 season Dwayne Wade got a chance to play with Shaquille O’Neil who was traded to the Heat by the Lakers for a bulk of their young roster. Their tandem proved to be successful as the team finished with a franchise second best of 59-23 and entered the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s top seeded team. Their journey came to a stop though when Wade suffered a rib injury in the Conference finals against the Pistons.
The next season saw the return of Pat Riley as coach and the introduction of a slew of veterans to the roster. The Heat finally won their first Championship that season after a coming back from a 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Dwayne Wade Became the Finals MVP and finally gave veterans Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Jason Williams, and Antoine Walker and the fifth for Shaquille O’Neil.
The 2006-07 proved to be a devastating season as Wade dislocated his shoulder in a game in February. Though he would return in the later part of the season and into the play-offs, he never fully recovered and the Miami Heat suffered a first round sweep from the Chicago Bulls.
O’Neil departed the next season and with a recovering Wade the Heat ended the season with the worst record in the NBA finishing with only 15 wins. Pat Riley finally stepped down and handed the coaching responsibilities to his long time assistant coach Eric Spoelstra. The team made it back to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons being ousted in the first round in both.
The 2010 free agency was a big one for the Heat as they ended up acquiring not only the returning Dwayne Wade but also fellow superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh. The reaction of the teaming-up of the “Big 3″ was met with both welcome and disdain from the fans. The team managed to return to the NBA finals after a rough season, but failed to win the title to a more experienced and cohesive Dallas Mavericks.
With a lot to prove in the coming season, it will surely be entertaining to watch the Heat as they continue to vie for dominance in the league. Heat tickets will surely be hard to come by as everyone either wants to see the team win or fail against other teams in the league.
