NBA Playoffs: The Miami Heat's 10 Greatest Playoff Teams
Only two games into the postseason and the Miami Heat have already asserted their authority over their playoff opponent. With a 94-73 Game 2 victory over the No. 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers, this newly formed team with only one starter left from last year's starting lineup has already emerged as one of the top lineups to be assembled in franchise history.
Even with only two wins, the Big Three and its supporting cast have become a title contender and could be making a deep postseason run if they can continue to play to their fullest potential.
Before the trio of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade was brought together, the Heat have had playoff teams that have become title contenders while also featuring some of the top players in the league. It was only five years ago that a completely different team had led the Heat to their first title in franchise history. Only Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem are left from that team and they are now in the midst of another title run sans Haslem, who has been out since November.
The run of postseason success has extended far before that championship run as this Heat team has advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before with a legitimate shot at a title. In the days of Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, the Heat were perennial title favorites and could have made, it if not for the greatest player in the world playing during that period, or the fact that the New York Knicks had a hex over Miami for three years.
This 2011 postseason team, just for its talent level and expectations alone, puts it in heavy competition with past teams that have made postseason runs. With a limited selection, since the Heat have only been around for 23 years, it made it less difficult to find the 10 best playoff teams to be assembled. Perhaps even those teams can give the current team a run for their money.
10. 1994
1 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Steve Smith
Shooting guard: Glen Rice
Small forward: Brian Shaw
Power forward: John Salley
Center: Rony Seikaly
Sixth man: Grant Long
The Results:
Lost to the Atlanta Hawks 3-2 in the first round.
The 1993-94 season featured a Miami Heat team that would not only advance to their second postseason in franchise history, but to their first winning season as well, finishing 42-40 and fourth in the defunct Atlantic Division. After failing to win a game against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in their first playoff appearance, the Heat would win Game 1 and would even have a chance to advance to the second round after taking Game 3.
However, they would lose Game 4 at home and would fall on the road at Atlanta in the decisive Game 5. Steve Smith led the way for the Heat, averaging 19 points per game, while future All-Star Glen Rice finished with 13 points and seven rebounds per contest.
9. 1996
2 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Tim Hardaway
Shooting guard: Rex Chapman
Small forward: Walt Williams
Power forward: Alonzo Mourning
Center: Kurt Thomas
Sixth man: Keith Askins
The Results:
Lost 3-0 in first round to the Chicago Bulls
After finishing a dismal 32-50 the year before, the Miami Heat organization decided it was time to switch up what this team was built on. Ownership traded away Glen Rice and brought in Charlotte Hornets big man Alonzo Mourning to play alongside point guard Tim Hardaway. In their first season together, they led the Heat to their second winning season and third postseason appearance in team history.
It didn't seem fair that they would have a date with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, who had just finished 72-10 and would lose only three games in that year's postseason. The duo of Mourning and Hardaway appeared to be the only ones ready to take on the Bulls, considering they were the only players on the Heat to average double-digit points, with Mourning averaging 18 points and six rebounds and Hardaway contributing 17 points and six assists.
8. 2007
3 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Jason Williams
Shooting guard: Dwyane Wade
Small forward: James Posey
Power forward: Udonis Haslem
Center: Shaquille O'Neal
Sixth man: Antoine Walker
The Results:
First round: Lost 4-0 vs Chicago
Despite it essentially being the same team from the championship season the year before, this Miami Heat team just wasn't ready for the amped-up competition. By the end of that year's regular season, Shaquille O'Neal began showing signs of wear and tear, a few players began getting themselves into weight issues and Dwyane Wade began succumbing to the injury bug.
For the lineup alone, they can still be regarded as one of the best postseason teams to be assembled in Heat history, but they played well below the expectations they brought after a title-winning season. The Chicago Bulls came out and punched the Heat in the mouth and they would never recover, as Chi-town would go out and sweep the defending champions.
Wade led the way for Miami averaging 24 points per game, but just didn't appear to be the same player from the year before due to missing a career-high 30 games in the regular season.
7. 2004
4 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Dwyane Wade
Shooting guard: Eddie Jones
Small forward: Caron Butler
Power forward: Lamar Odom
Center: Brian Grant
Sixth man: Rafer Alston
The results:
First round: Won 4-3 vs New Orleans
Semifinals: Lost 4-2 vs Indiana
The birth of a franchise player came during the 2003-04 season. With the 3-13 start, who would have guessed that rookie Dwyane Wade would be leading the Miami Heat to one of their strongest postseason appearances in nearly five years. Surrounded by veterans in Eddie Jones, Lamar Odom and Brian Grant, Wade had taken the reins of this team by the postseason and even gave them their first win on a game-winner that he hit with two seconds left.
Even though he and the Heat would lose in the second round, he still gave one of the defining moments of that years postseason with a huge dunk on former Indiana Pacers star Jermaine O'Neal. Wade led the Heat that postseason in points per game with 18 per contest, to along with six assists. Odom would contribute 16 points and eight rebounds in his one year with the Heat.
6. 1998
5 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Tim Hardaway
Shooting guard: Voshon Lenard
Small forward: Dan Majerle
Power forward: P.J. Brown
Center: Alonzo Mourning
Sixth man: Jamal Mashburn
The Results:
First round: Lost 3-2 to New York
The first of many Miami Heat teams that had their postseason derailed by the New York Knicks. This team came into the postseason with high expectations following up a 61-21 1997 season with a 55-27 1998 campaign. Miami had a strong lineup which featured three quality three-point threats, as well as two threats in the low post and a sixth man in Jamal Mashburn who could do a little bit of everything.
Even though Tim Hardaway was electric against the Knicks averaging 26 points and seven assists per game while also hitting 44 percent from deep, the team just couldn't find an answer to beating the Knicks and suffered a 17-point loss in the deciding Game 5. In the five-game series, Miami lost two of those games at the Miami Arena.
5. 2000
6 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Tim Hardaway
Shooting guard: Dan Majerle
Small forward: Jamal Mashburn
Power forward: P.J. Brown
Center: Alonzo Mourning
Sixth man: Clarence Weatherspoon
The Results:
First round: Won 3-0 vs Detroit
Semifinals: Lost 4-3 vs New York
Another season that finished with promise and came to a crushing halt thanks to the cruel hands of the New York Knicks. Miami finished 52-30 and then swept the Detroit Pistons in the first round to advance to their first semifinals since the 1997 season, when they advanced all the way to the conference finals. Miami once again had a date with the Knicks, but the Heat were 1-0 previously against New York in the semifinals.
Once again, the Heat squandered home-court advantage and lost Game 2 at home. They managed to steal an overtime win at Madison Square Garden and brought back home-court advantage to Game 7, where they had a chance to advance to the conference finals for only the second time in franchise history. Unfortunately, Allan Houston had other plans and the Heat fell at home by one point.
Alonzo Mourning was dominant in that year's postseason, as he averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game.
4. 2005
7 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Damon Jones
Shooting guard: Dwyane Wade
Small forward: Eddie Jones
Power forward: Udonis Haslem
Center: Shaquille O'Neal
Sixth man: Keyon Dooling
The Results:
First round: Won 4-0 vs New Jersey
Semifinals: Won 4-0 vs Washington
Conference finals: Lost 4-3 vs Detroit
If not for significant injuries to Dwyane Wade suffered during the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat could easily have two championship banners hoisted into the rafters of American Airlines Arena. The Heat just about ran the NBA that year, finishing a near-franchise-best 59-23 and securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They swept their first two postseason opponents with such ease that it was believed no one could possibly stop this team.
Until the Heat met the Detroit Pistons that is. The Heat lost Game 1 at home, but recovered and regained home-court advantage with a Game 3 victory at the Palace. Unfortunately, the Heat saw their title hopes go down the drain as Dwyane Wade suffered a serious rib injury in Game 5 that would cause him out to sit out Game 6. When he returned in Game 7, it was clear that he lacked the killer instinct that he would have brought if healthy. Miami would go on to lose Game 7 at home by six.
Dwyane was still elite when he was healthy and averaged 27 points during the postseason. Shaquille O'Neal chipped in 19 points and eight rebounds per contest.
3. 2011
8 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Mike Bibby
Shooting guard: Dwyane Wade
Small forward: LeBron James
Power forward: Chris Bosh
Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Sixth man: James Jones
The Results:
TBA
Only two games in and the 2011 Miami Heat find themselves high on this list. Why do you ask? Because they contain the most potential out of any Heat team that has stepped onto the floor before. With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the floor together and on the same team, Miami holds an advantage over just about every team in the postseason, since no team could possibly match up with all three players.
So far, the Heat have performed well in this year's postseason by taking their first two games against the Philadelphia 76ers that includes a huge 21-point Game 2 victory. With Boston and Chicago finding it more difficult to top their opponents than they probably originally thought, the Heat could take advantage and overcome their two biggest obstacles and make it to their second NBA Finals in franchise history.
From what we have seen these three do over the offseason, we know that anything can be possible.
2. 1997
9 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Tim Hardaway
Shooting guard: Voshon Lenard
Small forward: Jamal Mashburn
Power forward: P.J. Brown
Center: Alonzo Mourning
Sixth man: Dan Majerle
The Results:
First round: Won 3-2 vs Orlando
Semifinals: Won 4-3 vs New York
Conference finals: Lost 4-1 vs Chicago
Even though the Miami Heat have had Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James and Chris Bosh on their team at one time or another, the 1997 team still holds the franchise record for most wins in a season with 61. It was the first full season that Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, P.J. Brown and Jamal Mashburn played together and it was possibly the reason behind the Heat's 19-win improvement from the year before.
The Heat saw postseason success as well, to go along with their regular season accolades. Even though they struggled against the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic and needed some suspensions against the New York Knicks to skate by, Miami still found itself pitted against the Chicago Bulls in its first ever Eastern Conference Finals. Miami would lose the series 4-1, but would limit Michael Jordan to 9-of-35 shooting in their only win, an 87-80 victory at home.
Miami had four players average double-figure scoring outputs in the postseason with Hardaway, Mourning, Lenard and Mashburn leading the way.
1. 2006
10 of 10
The Lineup:
Point guard: Jason Williams
Shooting guard: Dwyane Wade
Small forward: Antoine Walker
Power forward: Udonis Haslem
Center: Shaquille O'Neal
Sixth man: James Posey
The Results:
First round: Won 4-2 vs Chicago
Semifinals: Won 4-1 vs New Jersey
Conference finals: Won 4-2 vs Detroit
NBA Finals: Won 4-2 vs Dallas
Could you have expected a different Heat team to take the No. 1 spot? Of course the 2006 championship team would be No. 1 since they are the only Miami Heat team to date to win the NBA title. In only his third year in the league, Wade emerged and began to show the NBA world why he can be regarded as not only one of the most clutch players in the league, but also as one of the best in the league overall.
It took 11 games for the Heat to attempt to exact their revenge on Detroit and they did so in only six games. With Wade healthy and ready to go, the Heat were able to make easy work of the Pistons en route to their eventual date with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The Mavs had a 2-0 series lead and were only five minutes away from a 3-0 series lead if not for the heroics of Dwyane Wade and Gary Payton.
Four games and a few more miraculous plays later and the Heat were NBA champions. Wade and Shaquille O'Neal led the way, but a quality supporting cast with veterans like Payton, Antoine Walker, and James Posey helped pave the way for an illustrious championship run that featured one of the best NBA Finals performances and comebacks in league history.
