115087774732098998

Congratulations, Miami Heat! I’m especially glad to see Mourning and Payton finally get their first NBA champion. Their contribution for this team is so huge, Zo had 5 blocks in the game 6, GP hit two clutch shots in the final series to save us two big games. With this title, they’ll definitely be put into the Hall of Fame. They should have no regret to retire this off-season, probably with team president and coach Pat Riley.

Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning

NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, front, celebrates with Alonzo Mourning, left, Gary Payton and Shaquille O’Neal after the final buzzer Tuesday night in Dallas

Miami’s Alonzo Mourning

Zo rejected Howard

Miami’s Gary Payton

Miami’s owner Micky Arison celebrates with Gray Payton

Miami’s Gary Payton makes a key basket to help Miami defeat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3

Gary Payton hits a big shot in overtime

The Miami Heat bench react after Gary Payton hit a shot with 29.8 seconds left during overtime of Game 5

Dallas Mavericks deserves some credits. They’re the better team and should have won the champion if Nowitzki hadn’t missed the shot to tie the game in game 3 while they were leading the Heat 2-0. If they won the game and extended the lead to 3-0, it would be a very different story. Well, it’s fate, isn’t it? A lethal turning point from one win to champion to leading just one game, with two more away court disadvantages. Second year coach Avery Johnson, coach of the year of this season, has done a hell of good job in containing Shaq. He just couldn’t find a way to stop unstoppable D. Wade. It’s not his fault nor Josh Howard, Devin Harris and Adrian Griffin’s at all. They’ve all done everything they could. DW just hit big shot again and again and went to free throw line numerous times ridiculously (Yup! I say the referee helped the Heat too). It’s heartbreaking to such a good team, especially their enthusiastic owner Mark Cuban.

Miami’s Pat Riley

Athletic Trainer - Ron Culp

In the midst of the playoff, Pat and Ron have shown great professionalism, overcoming losing mother and wife respectively, devoted to the team to achieve the goal.

Beside the delight, it’s sad that Stan Van Gundy, long term assistant of Pat, former head coach, current team scout, couldn’t join the team to get the ring, the reward he well deserved for what he has done for this team. Same goes to Heat’s former players Caron Butler, Lamar Ldom, Eddie Jones, Brian Grant, LaPhonso Ellis, Tim Hardaway, Dan Majerle, P.J. Brown, etc. Without them, the tradition and culture they founded, this team mightn’t get to here and celebrate at the moment. I’m very thankful and sorry for them.

Last but not least, thank Miami’s owner Micky Arison, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise operator, bought the team from Cunningham and Schaffel for $30 million in 1995 and brought in legend coach Pat Riley from New York Knicks. His marvelous insight, belief and faith in Pat, giving him 100% control of the team is the major reason we can realize our dream after came through a couple of ups and downs.

The Miami Heat pose for a victory photo

p.s. Why don’t I mention MVP Dwyane Wade (Flash) and his big fellow, most dominant centre in the world, Shaquille O’Neal (Diesel)? You guess! Okay okay… It’s because they’ll be mentioned by every press tomorrow, actually today in the US. I’d like my blog somewhat special… ha ha…

Pictures captured from:

MiamiHerald.com - Believe it: Miami Heat, world champs <http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/basketball/14864931.htm>
NBA.com <http://www.nba.com>
RealGM Miami Heat Forum by vegas_runnin_rebel <http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=528187>
Sun-Sentinel.com - Miami Heat <http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/>

***

Even Heat wins the NBA Champion, I still think we’ve sacrificed so much that the loss might not be necessary. Pat is over 60, soon he’ll need to step down. Who can take over the job in the coach bench? I don’t see anyone qualified. Shaq is 34 already, but his contract, worth US$80 millions, ends when he’s 38. It is 1/3 of our total payroll, which would limit our competitiveness to sign good players. In fact, if we had patience to develop potential young players and coach, it’s very likely that we was able to dominate for a decade, though, we mightn’t win the champion this year. Hm…

This is what I wrote on a discussion board after Heat got tied up by Bulls in the first round (about 1 month ago):

“Pat’s been wrong since he drafted Dorell Wright instead of Jameer Nelson. He let go of solid backup PG Rafer Alston for not paying luxury tax. He broke the young, talented, enthusiastic core LO, CB and DW. He gave up two excellent mentors, BG and EJ.

He should have kept developing the young team, added decent role players to upgrade it, whereas not building the team around old, expensive, unworthy Shaq. He should have known SVG coaches young players better than him. He should not have made the trade for the type of team he loves. He should have realized that he’d handed over the team to SVG and not take it back.

I wonder what he’s going to do to fix the mess he created. I wonder whom he’s going to assign down here to replace him as coach. I wonder if he regrets to make the big move two years ago.”

<http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=8508971&highlight=#8508971>

Apparently, Pat has led the team to success and finally won his first title after 18 years since leaving LA Lakers. Anymore criticism of his move, either one year or two years ago, won’t be considered right. Shaq has also fulfilled his promise to bring Miami the first Champion, even though he’s not as powerful and influential as before. Okay, Win now or win later. Pat picks Now and makes it.