The Hurt Of A Miami Heat Defeat: Getting Over Fresh Wounds
Now, with the current team, there are new players, new excitement, and deepening bonds. There’s also Jimmy Butler, with his never-say-die attitude and overpriced coffee.
There’s The Dragon, Goran Dragic, with his European Championship win and best-in-career performances. There are the young guns, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Duncan Robinson, showing everyone that they belong in the the best league in the world.
And, of course, the clincher: despite the odds, the naysayers, the fact that most everyone said that the Miami Heat didn’t stand a chance last season, they still won the East, and reached the NBA Finals.
Talk about an emotional trophy for all that faith. That’s what it is to be a Miami Heat fan.
It’s not always easy though.
It’s Getting Harder
One of my favorites of the Miami Heat was Kelly Olynyk. I loved his basketball IQ, his easy-go-lucky demeanor, and especially his fake pass and drive to the basket, affectionately known as the Kelly Keeper.
So when the Heat traded him to get Victor Oladipo, I was devastated. And then there was the losing streak.
So, I must confess, it’s getting harder and harder to still believe the Heat have a chance to repeat being NBA Finals contenders. Especially now that the Brooklyn Nets snagged LaMarcus Aldridge.
Miami couldn’t stop Anthony Davis when Bam was out of the game. Aldridge maybe would’ve changed that dynamic.
But now that he decided to go elsewhere, what chances do the Heat have left? Is it still worth it to invest all that emotion and energy into a lost cause?
I don’t think I could’ve lasted as a Red Sox fan throughout the years of The Curse of the Bambino, as they just couldn’t win the big one. Plus the Nets have one of my favorite players, Steve Nash, as their coach.
Is it time to move on from the Heat? Nope.
Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment. As long as Spoelstra, Riley, Butler, Dragic, and Herro are with the Heat, there’s a chance they’ll again over-perform and prove the naysayers wrong.
So I’m staying with them. I’ll be right here, all the way.
They show up each and every night, for the most part. So, why wouldn’t I?