A Reinvention: The Miami Heat Journey Forward
It is no secret that after LeBron James announced he would be leaving the Miami Heat to go back home to Cleveland, the Heat fanbase took a significant plunge; I still get asked “so are you a Cleveland Cavaliers fan now?” on a daily basis.
The second James televised his forever famous decision, the Heat became a new type of basketball team. The focus was no longer on the game itself and (at least for a while), the media attention turned on Miami resembled the likes of tabloids reporting on the latest out of control Hollywood starlet.
“It’s good to just focus more so on basketball, to be honest.” – Chris Bosh
Season previews spent more time on the
than on who would bring what to the table that year, and with every loss came a personal mockery of James and lackeys Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, with statistical analyses as sidenotes.
And as for the Big Three not winning the championship their first year in? Well, you can only imagine.
Years went by and although the Heat may never have been treated quite the same as the rest of the league, things certainly improved. James finally won his first championship, players outside of the Big Three started to gel, and other NBA scandals held the attention of basketball fans. Now, four years later, another major change is taking place: a reinvention.
This past Saturday, Miami lost 98-86 against the New Orleans Pelicans in the exhibition opener at the KFC Yum! Center. Although rookie James Ennis had an impressive 17-point game, the rest of the team underwhelmed. With many already doubting the Heat’s abilities now that James is gone, starting even the preseason off with a shaky performance only fuels the haters’ fires.
Being something that people love to hate is hard as it is being successful, but even harder when failure is on the horizon. However, the team does not seem to have that outlook, almost embracing their new-found reputation.
"“Too much of anything isn’t good,” Bosh told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, following Saturday’s game. “We’ve seen both sides and I don’t mind it. It’s good to just focus more so on basketball, to be honest.”"
Wade agreed with his close friend and teammate.
"“This is what we need, to be worried just about basketball, and not worried about 90 people walking in after a shootaround. [When] we’re overlooked, then we’ve got to go out and prove why we should be looked at more.”"
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I think these guys have the right idea. It would be silly to pretend nothing has changed, or conversely let the new circumstances hold them back. Those who decided to return to Miami knew what challenges lay ahead, so embracing the role of (a somewhat) underdog seems to be the best way to go. And labels and façades aside, there is genuinely something to what is being said. For the first time in a while, basketball itself may be at the heart of the Heat organization.
To answer the question I posed above, although I wish James much success and will continue to follow his career, I have in no way abandoned this team. I believe they can still be successful, and with the loss of James came the addition of a number of strong contenders.
Beneath all the hoopla, fame and attention has always been raw basketball; the only difference now is the spotlight being cast on it. I hope that eight months from now, Miami is practicing to Drake’s “Started From The Bottom”, but if a postseason is not part of this year’s plan, so be it. A reinvention takes time. The important thing is that the journey has begun.