Loughery years
Rothstein resigned before the 1990-91 season and the Heat picked
Kevin Loughery, an NBA coach with 29 years of experience as a
player, to be their new coach. For the 1991 NBA Draft, the Heat selected
Steve Smith from Michigan State which provided an agile guard to a
more matured Miami Heat team. With the help of rookie, Smith,
Rony Seikaly, and a more experienced Glen Rice, the Heat finished in
fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 38-44 record and made the
playoffs for the first time. Playing the league-best
Chicago Bulls, the Heat were swept in three games. Steve Smith made
the NBA All-Rookie team and Glen Rice finished 10th in the NBA in
scoring. In 1994-95, the team overhauled their roster, trading away
Seikaly, Smith, and Long. In return, the Heat obtained
Kevin Willis and Billy Owens.
Riley years
In the 1995 off season, the Heat hired Pat
Riley from the 1980s
Los Angeles Lakers and the 1990s
New York Knicks to be their new president and coach. Riley was the
mastermind behind the blockbuster deal that sent Glen Rice, among
others, to the
Charlotte Hornets in exchange for All-Star center
Alonzo Mourning. Riley acquired
Tim Hardaway on
February 22,
1996. the
Heat finished with a winning record with Mourning leading the league in
scoring and rebounding but lost in the playoffs in a 3-game sweep
against the 72-10 Bulls. the following season, the Heat finished with a
franchise-best 61-21 record with new additions,
Dan Majerle,
Jamal Mashburn, and
Voshon Lenard. the Heat were ousted from the playoffs by the Bulls
for the second consecutive time, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
the Heat celebrated their 10-year anniversary in the 1997-98 season
and captured their second straight Atlantic Division title. However,
they lost in the first round against Coach Riley's former team, the
New York Knicks. the next year, a lockout-shortened season, provided
identical results with the Heat losing to the Knicks.
As a result of their success on the court, the Heat moved into the
American Airlines Arena in 1999 with seats for over 20,500 fans. the
Heat again lost in a deciding Game 7 to the Knicks by a single point.
the subsequent season, the Heat missed Mourning for 69 games, due to his
diagnosis of a rare kidney disorder. the Heat managed to win 50 games
with help from
Eddie Jones and emotional leader, Tim Hardaway but lost in the first
round of the playoffs.
Van Gundy years
However, the Heat's line-up changed in 2003. Pat Riley stepped down
as coach of the Heat to focus more on being team president and promoted
assistant coach,
Stan Van Gundy to the head coaching position. More changes occurred
when the Heat drafted
Dwyane Wade in the
2003 NBA Draft, and signed troubled players
Lamar Odom and
Rafer Alston. Odom revived his NBA career by averaging over 17
points per game. Wade brought energy to the team and broke many rookie
NBA records, while being compared to other rookie superstars,
Carmelo Anthony and
LeBron James. the Heat found themselves in the 2004 NBA Playoffs,
where they lost to the
Indiana Pacers.
the Heat acquired
Shaquille "Diesel" O'Neal on
July 14,
2004 in a
historic trade. Wade and O'Neal worked well as a pair and each
solidified their position as NBA elites with both averaging over 20
points per game. the season also reunited several former club members.
Ron Rothstein, the Heat's first coach, became the Heats assistant coach
and both Steve Smith and Alonzo Mourning rejoined the Heat. the Heat
advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the
Detroit Pistons in Game 7.
Riley returns
After an 11-10 start and with O'Neal hurt, Riley became coach of the
Heat for the second time on December 12, 2005, after Van Gundy stepped
down due to personal and family reasons. the team went on to win its
first three games under Riley until losing to
Lebron James and the
Cleveland Cavaliers. the team is currently 4-1 with Riley back as
coach.
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