A Tale Of Two Cities

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…”

This is a story of two cites, Miami, the night life, known for its Heat; Orlando, the city where joy is abundant, known for its Magic. When someone is first told of Miami and of Orlando they always think those two things, Heat and Magic. Heat—south beach, clubs, and the night life and the Magic—Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, the joy in the face of the people.

When the city of Miami decided back in 1987 that they wanted an NBA franchise, it seemed fit to call it the Miami Heat. Likewise, in 1988 when the city of Orlando decided it would also want an NBA franchise, the Orlando Magic seemed fit.

The Heat and the Magic were two of the four new expansion franchises awarded by the NBA along with the Charlotte Hornets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Initially, the NBA was planning to expand by three teams, with one franchise going to Florida; however, when both Miami and Orlando ownership groups made successful pitches, the expansion committee decided to expand by four teams, allowing both to have a franchise of their own.

Two franchises came on board for the 1988 Season (Miami and Charlotte) and then in 1989 Orlando and Minnesota came along.

Both franchises had two players by the names of Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, although Hardaway played only 16 games for the Heat. O’Neal, played his first four NBA season with the Magic, where he took them to the NBA Finals in 1995 but was swept by the Houston Rockets. Likewise, O’Neal played four seasons in Miami where he took them to the NBA Finals and won.

Both the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic have had their shares of “roller-coaster” seasons. They both have had it’s highs, with Miami winning the NBA Championship in 2006, and the Magic winning the Eastern Conference twice (1995, 2009). And both have had its low, with Miami’s two 15-win seasons (1988, 2008), and the Magic having it’s low seasons after the departures of O’Neal and T-Mac.

Both the Magic and the Heat had their worst seasons after the departure of Shaquille O’Neal.

When a greedy O’Neal left the Magic as a free agent in 1996, they went from a 60-22 record in the 1995-1996 Season to 45-37 in the following year. Not a terrible record, and it was still good enough to make the playoffs but that team lost to the Miami Heat.

Miami on the other hand, after hitting the all-time high in 2006, had a mediocre 2007 season going 44-38 and were swept by a much more athletic team in the Chicago Bulls.

Then, in 2008, things got ugly. Many argue that O’Neal simply gave up on Pat Riley and the Heat. Riley couldn’t swallow the fact that O’Neal had the audacity to do that and traded him halfway through that horrible season to the Phoenix Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. The drama didn’t end with O’Neal’s departure. Miami finished the season with a 15-67 record and O’Neal still whined about how “bad” the Miami Heat and it's fan treated him during his four-year stay.

Both the Heat and the Magic also had one coach in common. Stan Van Gundy was the coach of the Miami Heat for two and a half seasons (Van Gundy resigned from his position as Heat head coach on December 12, 2005). With a 112-73 record as the Miami Heat head coach, he took them to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2004 and to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2005.

Now, as the head coach of the Orlando Magic, he has a 111-53 in only two seasons and has the Magic in the NBA Finals.

Presently, it’s 2009 and both the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic have had a renaissance of sorts. Orlando has its new superman in Dwight Howard. And Miami has its flash in Dwyane Wade with a great supporting cast.

Miami was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this season but it was a great turn around. Orlando on the other hand, is having a terrific season. Making it's second trip to the NBA finals in franchise history this season, Howard and the Magic hope to stun the Lakers and win its first NBA championship.

Who knows what happens in the next 20 years of basketball down in Florida? But for now, let’s enjoy the Magic in the Finals and the rebirth of the Miami Heat.