Top 5 Miami Heat Point Guards of All Time
By Wes Goldberg
1. Tim Hardaway
Feb 15, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; NBA former player Tim Hardaway shoots during the 2014 NBA All Star Shooting Stars competition at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Mid-way through the 1995-1996 season, Pat Riley traded a pair of role players (Kevin Willis and Bimbo Coles) for former ‘Run TMC’ triggerman and NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway. Hardaway would join newly acquired Alonzo Mourning to form a 1-5 super duo and usher in a new era of Heat basketball. The team would ultimately under-achieve in this era, but it was exciting to watch a pair of the greatest players the Heat organization had ever seen to that point.
Hardaway played six seasons in Miami, leading the team to a franchise record 61 wins in his first full season, finishing fourth in the voting for the NBA’s most valuable player and earning a spot on the All-NBA first team. He would play in three All-Star games while in Miami, and remains near the top of many Heat leaderboards including 3-pointers (1st), assists (2nd), steals (6th) and points (7th).
Hardaway spent the second half of his prime with the Heat, and in 2001 was traded to the Mavericks for a second-round draft pick. Hardaway won a lot of games in Miami, and is still waiting to be accepted to the Basketball Hall-of-Fame.
*All stats via basketball-reference.com unless otherwise noted.