The Miami Heat are on the cusp on the playoffs, and the national media is finally starting to see what’s happening in South Beach.
Huh. So that’s what it took. The Miami Heat just had to beat the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back games to get some respect.
What am I talking about? I listen to way to much basketball talk on the radio. Everyday, I drive somewhere between 30 minutes and two hours (depending on traffic) to get to work. During that time I listen almost exclusively to the NBA channel on Sirius-XM radio. Hearing the opinions of the talking heads and the fanatical callers helps get a feel for what die hards think about a team.
For example, whoever knew there were so many Knicks fans? But, not a day goes by without both the radio hosts and the Knick fan base offering a myriad of opinions about the latest drama in New York. By the way, the only thing they agree on – Phil Jackson is doing a terrible job.
The hosts also spend a lot of time talking about the teams you might expect. You know, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers of the world. And of course, individual players will get their share of air time too. I mean, who can resist talking about Demarcus ‘Boogie’ Cousins after his latest outburst.
But, for most of this season, the Miami Heat got nary a word. Sure, during the league leading 13 game winning streak various hosts acknowledged the team was winning. But almost always there was a caveat. For example, they were quick to point out that most of the teams the Heat beat had losing records.
When the Heat beat Houston back at the beginning of the streak, they pointed out that Ryan Anderson was out and then blamed the loss on a poor shooting night by the Rockets. Funny how the poor shooting was never attributed to the Heat’s top six defense.
When the streak ended with the Heat losing back to back games against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic, two of the worst teams in the league, the pundits seemed justified. The Heat, they said, had a remarkable run. But, don’t get it twisted, they’re still not a good team.
With the next nine games against five playoff teams, most thought the Heat would be lucky to come out with four wins. Over the last nine games the Heat are 7-2, going 5-0 against playoff teams. During this stretch, the Heat had good wins over Houston, Atlanta, Indiana, and Cleveland.
Even the first blowout win against Cleveland had an asterisk. Lebron James and Kyrie Irving didn’t play. When that game ended with JR Smith and Dion Waiters shouting at each other, the consensus was the Heat had awoken a sleeping giant. With Lebron and Kyrie back, surely the Cavaliers would blow out the Heat in Cleveland just like the Heat blew out the Cavaliers in Miami.
But, no. The Heat beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Neither Lebron nor Kyrie had an off night; they both played at a high level. Yet, despite the Cavaliers best efforts, the Heat were dominate. And with that win, finally, national recognition began to flow.
The day after beating Cleveland in Cleveland, there was some admiration on the radio. The hosts were reading statements from Pat Riley about culture and winning and hoping that Phil Jackson were listening. They were applauding the Heat’s refusal to tank (after questioning the same refusal throughout the streak).
In fact, callers were blasted for suggesting the Heat should have tanked this season with the hosts pointing to the dismal six years of hopeless seasons 76er fans have had to endure. People were doubting LeBron’s decision to leave Miami and wondering what he could have accomplished if he had trusted Pat Riley instead of crawling back to Dan Gilbert.
Apparently, the Knicks also wonder how a team like Miami, with less talent, has a better record. "Guys discuss that a lot," Carmelo said.
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) March 9, 2017
More love came after a big win against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Host Sam Mitchell declared that it wasn’t crazy to think an eighth seeded Heat team had an outside chance to topple the top ranked Cavaliers.
New York journalist Frank Isola was using the Heat to troll Phil Jackson while also tweeting quotes from Carmelo Anthony wondering how the Heat could be so good with so little talent.
Next: Dion Waiters is the hero the Heat need right now
After struggling to hear a mention of the Heat for most of the season, it’s been a great couple days riding to work. Finally, the Heat are getting some national recognition. To quote LeBron James “#PutSomeRespeckOnMyName Hahahaha!!! Yes sir”