The newest era of Miami Heat Basketball is for fans of the game

Miami Heat Basketball is all for the love of the game.

Every NBA team is ultimately after one thing: a championship.

But of course, there can only be one title holder per year. And unfortunately, with the current landscape of the league, there are only a handful of ball clubs actually in contention.

Frustrating? Maybe.

But it shouldn’t deter from the pure enjoyment of watching good basketball. Which is exactly the point Miami Heat president Pat Riley made in a recent interview.

When asked if was aware how fans feel about the current team, Riley preached patience and understanding.

"“I talk to a lot of fans. I’ve given speeches to our season ticket holders and our sponsors and talked to people. And what comes across social media — or what some fan who might be a real diehard Heat fan might show in frustration — [is] because we are not what we were when we had the Big Three. We don’t have that kind of team right now.”"

While the message of great things sometimes taking longer to develop is a valuable one, perhaps what’s more important is Riley’s definition of Miami Heat Basketball: playing for the love of the game.

"“Somewhere along the line, people have to realize you are a basketball fan and you love the game.”"

Ever since the Big Three was no more, the majority of Heat Nation has been dissatisfied with the direction of the team. From questioning Goran Dragic‘s skill set to criticizing re-signing James Johnson, nothing seems good enough for South Florida. Which of course goes hand-in-hand with the notion of A-List names equalling instant success.

But fans should know better. Because even Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade failed to make good on their promise, their first year together.

Supporters also have forgotten what made the Big Three era so enjoyable. Sure, the back-to-back rings were great. But it was watching the roster come alive on the court that captivated the audience.

And although perhaps seeing a Josh Richardson to Bam Adebayo alley-oop isn’t exactly the same as the infamous December 6, 2010 one from Wade to James, it’s worth a celebration nevertheless.

As is a Dion Waiters buzzer-beater.

As well as a Hassan Whiteside one-handed block.

(You get the idea, right?)

Success is always the goal, but the road to victory is just as important as the win itself. And when it comes to Miami Heat Basketball, that means working hard, never giving up and staying true to the team.

However, in no way does that mean anyone on staff, much less Riley himself, is satisfied with status quo.

"“We are going to be a very competitive team,” Riley said. “One thing we have going for us is we have familiarity, we have continuity. There is a system that’s been intact here. If it’s a free for all [in the Eastern Conference], I’m all for that because I think the door is wide open for almost anybody to do something very good.”"

It just means that until the Heat become strong enough to reckon with the likes of the Golden State Warriors, he’ll keep embracing the movement.

Don’t take Miami Heat Basketball for granted.