“Heat Nation ain’t going anywhere!”
Those words closed out a speech made by Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra on October 1, addressing the first crowd to fill the AmericanAirlines Arena since boos rained down during the waning moments of Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
A lot has happened in between these defining moments – a beginning and an end, respectively.
Game 4 was the last home game of the “Big 3” era that concluded officially on July 11 when LeBron James went “home” to Cleveland. The team’s front office was admittedly shocked by the decision; as Spoelstra explained during the team’s media day, they were left immobile for “about 10 minutes.” They managed to rebound well, signing Luol Deng and convincing Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts to honor their verbal commitment to the team.
The Heat also re-signed Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, along with other key players of the past four seasons. This would all seem encouraging and yet there’s a sense that the team was rebuilt and not retooled, in direct contrast to Pat Riley’s season ending speech.
Unfortunately, that sense comes directly from the team’s front office, which has been reeling ever since James’ announcement despite their claims otherwise.
When Wade declared his intention to re-sign with Miami, he ended his message to fans with the now iconic phrase, #HeatLifer. It has become a rallying cry for the team’s front office but it comes across as a little desperate. When polished and powerful leaders like Micky Arison and Riley have to explain the nuances of the term, the words lose some of their luster, like discovering that the stuttering old man behind the curtain is actually the “great and powerful Oz.”
Riley has been particularly determined to sell the Heat culture and it’s obvious why; he was directly misled by James and perhaps, as some reports surmise, partially responsible for his departure. But even with every oversell of the current roster, Riley still can’t change the past. James is gone and the team has moved forward and Miami’s fans – the real ones that are still here – are painfully aware of that fact.
My take might represent the minority on this and I can understand why peripheral fans would appreciate the team’s efforts to push their version of “Loyalty over Royalty.” James was the face of the franchise and it’s important to let everyone know that the new members of the Heat family are worth watching, too. But, at least to me, there is something painful in watching Riley have to hawk season tickets while extolling the virtues of Granger, something akin to seeing a snake oil salesman plying his cure-all wares.
It’s disingenuous and, moreover, completely unnecessary.
This team is good, real good, despite their meaningless 0-4 start to the preseason. The version we’ve seen is incomplete as McRoberts heals from a minor injury; if you think his importance is overstated, just ask any Bobcats fan what role he played in helping the team make the playoffs last year after multiple seasons of ghastly play. There’s something exciting in watching this team redefine themselves in the absence of James. Expectations may be lowered but that’s all right; just bouncing back from the news of July 11 already feels like a success.
Maybe it’s years of listening to Spoelstra’s oft-repeated phrases – his “Spo-isms” – but this season is all about enjoying “the process.” It’s no coincidence that everyone from Bosh to Wade and even James (in Cleveland, no less), has used this expression to describe the upcoming season. Strangely enough, the meaning to both the players and fans is very similar. For the team, the process is all about working on little details that lead to the ultimate improvement; it’s why the Heat often improved over the course of the year and hit their stride as the playoffs began. But for fans, the connotation isn’t all that different – it’s not about the win total, not really, and making it to a fifth-straight Finals appearance seems very unlikely at this point.
There’s plenty to appreciate outside of that as we watch Wade and Bosh reclaim some of their lost glory or as we see young players like James Ennis and Shabazz Napier develop as part of the rotation. There’s so much to see, so many ‘little details’ and as fans we can appreciate that without having to be sold a fake bill of goods by Riley, Arison or anyone else.
This team is worth watching and enjoying, as they fail or succeed, because the process of getting better and doing so as a unified group is its own reward.
And that’s why Spoelstra’s words on October 1, the beginning of a new era in Heat basketball, ultimately ring more true than any manufactured slogan on a t-shirt.