Miami Heat Parade: Latest Route Info and Viewing Guide to Monday's Event

Miami Heat fans will be dancing and partying through the streets of Downtown Miami on Monday, as the team celebrates its second consecutive NBA championship.

Down 3-2 in the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, the Heat rode LeBron James to the back-to-back titles. James helped the Heat force overtime in Game 6 with a triple-double and then was unstoppable in Game 7, finishing with 37 points and 12 rebounds.

Now, James and his teammates are the guests of honor in what is sure to be an extravagant parade in Miami. Last year’s celebration didn’t disappoint one bit. Think the Heat can top it? If there’s one thing we know about the Heat on and off the court, never bet against them.

Below is everything you need to know about Monday’s parade, from when it starts to the route to important security information.

Where: Downtown Miami, Flo.

When: Monday, June 24 at 11 a.m. ET

Watch: NBA TV, Sun Sports (Coverage starts at 10 a.m. ET)

Live Stream: Sun Sports

 

What’s the Route?

Miami-Dade County is prepared to give Heat fans the best experience possible in celebrating the team’s second consecutive NBA title. The county released a statement detailing the parade route.

Here’s an excerpt from the statement:

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The Miami HEAT victory parade celebrating the hometown team’s NBA Championship will take place Monday, June 24 at 11 a.m. The nearly two-mile parade route will start at the corner of SW 8th Street and 2nd Avenue, head east on 8th Street then north on Brickell Avenue, across the bridge and north on Biscayne Boulevard, ending at the American Airlines Arena.

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Below is a map of the parade route, courtesy of Miami-Dade County:

What Are Mother Nature’s Plans?

While it’s very tough to predict the weather, there is the chance that Mother Nature literally rains on Miami’s parade. The Weather Channel currently projects it to be 88 degrees on Monday in Miami with a 30 percent chance of rain. There are also expected to be isolated thunderstorms throughout the day.

The Heat took down the Thunder in last year’s NBA Finals—see what I did there? Doing so again is more than likely. A little rain never hurt anyone and it certainly won’t stop Heat fans.

For comparison's sake, there were just two Heat players who shot 30 percent or worse throughout the playoffs. Those two were Joel Anthony, who rarely played, and Shane Battier, who was a huge part of why the Heat defeated the Spurs in Game 7. Still, 30 percent doesn’t seem very likely.

No need to worry, Miami.

 

Expect More Security

Miami will be taking every measure in the book in order to prevent any sort of tragedy throughout the championship parade.

An anonymous Twitter user posted, “What if what in boston at that marathon happened also the miami heat parade. That’d be Soo cool,” according to CBS Miami. The Twitter user was referencing the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon in April.

Evan Hilbert of CBS Sports reports the FBI is looking into the threat. Hilbert also reports that Miami police will not be allowing fans to carry backpacks throughout the duration of the parade. Here is what Miami police Sgt. Freddie Cruz said of the matter:

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"As with all major events, we always get a threat here and there and take every threat serious. Obviously we don’t want a recurrence like a 9/11 or a Boston, for that matter."

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The backpack ban shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. There are expected to be thousands of fans taking part in Monday’s festivities and restricting backpacks helps to ensure everyone’s safety. It’s a smart move on the part of the Miami police department.