NBA Finals 2011: 10 Reasons Why the Miami Heat Are the Most Hated Team Ever
No. 10:
After making a big dunk, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and even Dwyane Wade sometime scream at the top of their lungs like they just won the NBA Finals. C'mon, this is a professional league, Heat. Save your screaming like a raging dinosaur after you've really done something.
Buy a clue from people who have won titles: this kind of premature showboating is a big factor why people don't like you.
No. 9: Wade Poses Like Heat Just Won in Front of Mavericks' Bench
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After Wade hit a three-pointer to put the Heat up by 15 points with 7:14 left in Game 2, he held his arm up posing in front of the Dallas bench and by Mavs guard Jason Terry. LeBron came over and danced with Wade, playfully punching him in a celebration that further mocked the Mavs.
Bad move, Wade and LeBron. Terry credited that premature celebration with sparking his team's stunning comeback win. Wade did not score a point after that celebration. LeBron scored just two free throws.
No. 8: Wade and LeBron Flop More Than Manu Ginobili
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Wade and LeBron get more free-throw calls than almost anyone in the NBA. Sure, they drive the lane a lot, but a big reason is also that they flop anytime anyone as much as lays a hand on them.
Wade tried that on the final shot of regulation in Game 2 and surprisingly did not get the call. Miracles do happen.
No. 7: Many Heat Fans Are Idiots
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Ask Charles Barkley his opinion of the Heat fan who threw a towel at him during the Bulls series simply because Barkley wrongly picked Chicago to win the series. At the same time that fan was throwing a towel at TNT analyst Barkley, other Heat fans were giving the finger to the national television audience. Real mature, Heat fans.
Of course, Barkley isn't the most mature person himself. At one point, he saluted the Heat fans with a middle finger. But Wade also added fuel to the fire, commending the fans for sticking up for them, according to a South Florida Sun-Sentinel report. Those fans were cussing more than most.
No. 6: Heat Coach Spoelstra Is the Most Unqualified Coach Ever in an NBA Finals
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Erik Spoelstra joined the Heat more than a decade ago as a video coordinator. He rose up the ranks to become an assistant coach, but that's about his only qualification to be a head coach. He doesn't have the credentials to lead a championship team, and his players often seem more in control of games than him.
The Heat may win some rings, but—like the Dallas Cowboys won a Super Bowl in 1996 with equally clueless Barry Switzer coaching—it will be despite Spoelstra, not because of him.
No. 5: Media Personalities Like Skip Bayless Jump on Heat Bandwagon
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What's more sickening to see than the Heat's many premature celebrations? Media personalities like ESPN "analyst" Skip Bayless praising the Heat profusely as practically the best team in NBA history when they win, then ripping them mercilessly after they lose.
The unprofessional Bayless has admitted he openly roots for teams he picks to win just to make Bayless look better. And Bayless downplays what the Mavs have done simply because he has a personal grudge against Mavs owner Cuban. Bayless and the Heat are a perfect match.
No. 4: The Celebration
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In the biggest celebration for a free-agent signing in sports history, LeBron, Wade and Bosh participated in a self-serving festival of back-slapping reserved for after teams actually win a title, much less play an NBA game.
There were fireworks, smoke machines and hydraulic lifts. LeBron promised as many as seven NBA rings. Wade suggested they were already the best trio to ever play together in the NBA. There was an image on the big screen of the trio with the words, "Yes, We Did." As if they just won their seventh ring.
It was sickening.
No. 3: The Decision
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It's fine for a player like LeBron to jump to another team, even for several players to conspire to jump to the same team. That's all been done before.
What had not been done before was "The Decision" show on national TV in which LeBron didn't even give his longtime employers some notice about his decision beforehand. It was disrespectful and self-serving, seemingly done only to pump up LeBron's brand and image. But it backfired.
No. 2: The Constant Media Attention
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It's not the Heat's fault they get a lot of media attention, but it is overkill. We just get tired of it.
And the Top Reason the Miami Heat Is so Hated
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One word: Arrogance.
