Latest Miami Heat News

    Miami Heat Franchise Information

    Have a read on below at some quick stats and facts on the Miami Heat to get you started: 

    Established:1988
    Stadium:FTX Arena
    Colours:Red, yellow & black
    Hall of Famers:Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Shaquille O’Neal & Ray Allen 
    Hall of Fame Coaches:Pat Riley
    Rivals:Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers & Dallas Mavericks
    Legends:Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Glen Rice, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Udonis Haslem, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway Sr & Mario Chalmers
    Retired Numbers:1, 3, 10, 32, 33
    Conference: Eastern Conference
    Division:Southeast Division
    NBA Championships:3: 2006, 2012 & 2013

    Miami Heat History

    In 1987, the NBA were to decide which three cities would be granted expansion teams to join the league. Minnesota and Charlotte were successful in their bids, with Orlando and Miami vying for the last spot, with the NBA eventually granting both Florida cities teams in the league. 

    The Miami Heat’s inaugural season began in 1988 with a 17 game losing streak with the low mark being a 47 point loss to Magic Johnson and the Lakers. The Heat would only win 15 games that season and have the worst record in the league. With the fourth pick in the 1999 draft the Heat selected high scoring Glen Rice, who would go on to be the leader of the team during his time in Miami. 

    Miami barely improved the next two seasons finishing with 18 and 24 wins in the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons respectively, before finishing 8th in the Eastern Conference with a 38-44 record in the 1991-92 season and making the playoffs for the first time. The Heat were the first of the four expansion teams in the late 1980s to make the playoffs, led by Rice and rookie Steve Smith. 

    The Heat would only make the playoffs once over the following three seasons, but the 1995 off-season was one that changed the shape of the franchise. New owner Micky Arison hired Pat Riley, who previously coached the Lakers to four championships, as Head Coach and Team President. Riley shook things up immediately, trading Rice to the Hornets for Alonzo Mourning, bringing in a hard nosed defensive edge to the team. 

    Miami won 11 of their first 14 games however dwindled to a 24-29 record just before the trade deadline. Riley continued his overhaul of the team, making three different moves involving ten players, bringing in Tim Hardaway among others. Before the new players arrived in Miami, the Heat faced the infamous Chicago Bulls with only eight active players on the roster. 

    Riley was considering signing a local player off the streets to meet the league requirement of nine active players, but one of the players acquired in the trade arrived just before the start of the game, which saw the undermanned Heat beat Michael Jordan and the Bulls 113-104. 

    Mourning and Hardaway would become the stars and leaders of the franchise, creating one of the best duos in the league and taking the Heat to the playoffs six straight years, starting in that 1995-96 season.

    The 1997 playoffs saw the 2nd seed Heat beat the Florida rivals the Magic before facing the Knicks in the second round. There was plenty of bad blood in this series, which saw suspensions to six players and the series go to seven games, with Hardaway dominating the decider to lead the Heat to the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat would face the experienced Chicago Bulls, who led by Jordan and Scottie Pippen would defeat Miami 4-1. 

    The following two seasons saw Miami finish 2nd and 1st in the Eastern Conference, but the Heat couldn’t escape the first round, with the Knicks eliminating Miami both years. 

    The 1999-00 season saw hope for Miami to finally claim their first championship, finishing second in the Eastern Conference and sweeping the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. 

    The second round saw the Heat face the Knicks for the fourth straight year, with the Heat hoping to even the ledger. The teams alternated wins in the first six games before a decider in Miami. Patrick Ewing scored a lay up with seconds remaining to put the Knicks up by 1 and after a timeout the Heat missed the potential game winner, meaning for the third straight playoffs, New York had prematurely ended Miami’s season. 

    That off-season Riley shook the team up again, trying to build a core around Mourning and Hardaway that could win Miami a championship, but plans were unravelled when on a plane home from the Olympics, Mourning noticed abnormal swelling in his legs, eventually finding out he had a chronic kidney disease. 

    Mourning would miss most of the season, leaving Hardaway to lead the team by himself, finishing 50-32 which was good enough for 3rd in the East. Mourning made a miraculous comeback, however he wasn’t his usual self, with the Hornets sweeping Miami in the first round, bringing an end to the Hardaway/Mourning playoff era. 

    Hardaway was traded in the 2001 off-season and after failing to make the playoffs in the 2001-02 season, Mourning missed the Heat’s terrible 2002-03 season due to his kidney issues. 

    The Miami Heat looked completely different to what it did three years earlier when it was competing for championships with young gun Caron Butler being joined in 2003 by free agents Lamar Odom and Rafer Alston along with rookie Dwyane Wade. 

    Pat Riley stood down as head coach to focus on being team president, leaving his assistant Stan Van Gundy to lead this young and inexperienced team, which was expected by experts around the league to seriously struggle, but Wade led this energetic bunch into the playoffs defeating the Hornets in the first round before falling to the Indiana Pacers. 

    With Wade showing signs of being a superstar in the league, Riley traded Butler and Odom for Shaquille O’Neal to create the best duo in the league at the time. The team also signed Heat legend Alonzo Mourning as a free agent and the team would go on to finish on top of the East with a 59-32 record, including a 14 game winning streak. 

    Miami swept the first two rounds of the playoffs before facing the defending champion Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit would go on to beat the Heat in seven games.

    Riley again shook the roster up, creating a league record 5-team, 13-player trade, bringing in former All Stars and aging veterans with playoff experience. The new look Heat started the season 11-10 and with O’Neal injured, Van Gundy stood down as head coach of the team. Pat Riley appointed himself to return as head coach and the Heat went on to finish the season 52-30. 

    The Heat won the first two rounds and were to face the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. The Heat defeated Detroit in six games to advance to the franchise’s first ever Finals against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. 

    The Mavs dominated the first two games but Wade scored 42 and 35 points in games 3 and 4 to even the series, before a 43 point outing by Wade led the Heat to a 101-100 overtime victory and a 3-2 series lead. Dwyane Wade scored 36 points in game six to close the series out and hand Miami their first championship, averaging 34.7 points in the series and winning Finals MVP. 

    The Heat faced injuries the following year and struggled for most of the year, being swept by the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. Riley, always striving for greatness, re-worked the roster that off-season in an attempt to gain another championship, trading most players except Wade and O’Neal. 

    Mourning tore his patella in a game early in the season and the Heat continued to struggle. Just before the trade deadline of the 2007-08 season, Riley sent O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns. Miami would finish with a 15-67 record and were destined for a high draft pick. 

    Riley stood down as head coach and appointed long time assistant Erik Spoelstra as his replacement. The Heat drafted Michael Beasley with the 2nd pick in the draft and traded for rookie Mario Chalmers. 

    The 2008-09 season saw Wade lead the league in scoring, along with the development of both Beasley and Chalmers, and the Heat returned to the playoffs the following two seasons but were defeated in the first round both years. 

    Dwyane Wade became a free agent in the 2010 off-season, along with stars around the league such as Amare Stoudamire, who the Heat attempted to trade for in the season prior, Chris Bosh and LeBron James.

    Bosh and James would join Wade in Miami, forming a big three with expectations of immediate and multiple championships, however the team started the season 9-8 and many were calling for Spoelstra to lose his job. The players rallied behind their coach and went on a 12 game winning streak, led by their defence which didn’t allow a team to score 100 during the streak. 

    The Heat would make the playoffs and beat the Philadelphia 76ers, Celtics and 1-seed Bulls all 4-1 on their way to the NBA Finals, where they would face familiar foes the Mavericks. The Heat were expected to dominate the series, with James and Wade even joking about their opponents. James struggled in the series and the Mavericks would win 4-2. 

    The Heat went 46-20 in the shortened 2011-12 season, finishing 2nd in the East. Miami would defeat the Knicks and the Pacers before facing fierce rivals, the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics were known as James’ bogey team and Boston took a 3-2 lead in the series. 

    LeBron had the breakout game of his playoff career in game six with 45 points and 15 rebounds and the Heat would win the next two games to return to the NBA Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook defeated the Heat in Game 1, with many thinking that 2012 would see a repeat of 2011’s misfortunes, but James led the Heat to victory the following four games, claiming his first and the Heat’s second championship. 

    In the 2012 off-season, Heat signed free agent sharp shooter Ray Allen, taking him from the Boston Celtics and continuing the bad blood between the two teams. James would have one of the most dominant and statistically best seasons in 2012-13, leading the Heat to a 27 game winning streak, third best in league history, first seed in the East and a third straight NBA Finals. 

    The experienced San Antonio Spurs had a 3-2 series lead and a five point lead with 28 seconds to go in game 6. Security had begun preparing for the championship presentation and the game hadn’t even finished yet, however a James triple cut the lead to two. Kawhi Leonard made one of two free throws, leaving a three point deficit for the Heat to erase. 

    In what is the most famous sequence in Miami Heat history, James missed a three, which was rebounded by Bosh who kicked it out to Allen for a three, to tie the game with seconds left. James finished with a triple double and a game six victory, followed up with a 37 point performance in the decider, winning back to back championships and Finals MVPs. 

    Miami faced plenty of issues in the 2013-14 season, the fourth of the Big Three. Lack of energy and motivation led to poor performances and players becoming unhappy with each other. Chalmers became a scapegoat with James, Wade and Bosh all seen berating the ‘little brother’ of the team at times, including a near physical altercation between Chalmers and James during a timeout of one game. 

    Despite their troubles, there were still some highlights with James scoring a career-high and franchise-high 61 points in a game against Charlotte and the Heat still finishing 2nd in the East, despite boasting the worst win loss percentage of the Big Three era, 54-28. The Heat swept Charlotte in the first round before defeating the Nets and Pacers in the East Semis and Finals, two teams they struggled majorly against in the regular season. 

    Facing the Spurs for the second straight NBA Finals saw the teams split the first two games, before San Antonio dominated the final three games of the series, defeating the Heat 4-1 and marking the last time James would play in a Miami uniform. 

    James returned to Cleveland that off-season, causing their aging ring-chasing veterans to also leave the team. Wade and Bosh remained but this wasn’t enough to compete in the Eastern Conference. Bosh would be sidelined in the later stages of the 2014-15 season with blood clots in his lungs, and the Heat would miss the playoffs, marking just the second time in Wade’s career he was unable to make the playoffs. 

    The Heat had young stars like Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow and were set for the future, with the aging Dwyane Wade serving as a mentor. The Heat returned to the playoffs in 2016, beating Charlotte before losing to the Toronto Raptors in the second round. 

    Dwyane Wade left the Heat in the 2016 off-season, feeling disrespected by Riley’s free agency tactics and underappreciation. The Miami Heat made the playoffs just once in the three seasons after Wade’s departure, however in the 2019 off-season traded for Jimmy Butler who brought experience, leadership and a defensive tenacity that has led the Miami Heat to a 44-29 record in the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season.

    This was good enough for the 5th seed in the East and a first round match up with the Indiana Pacers, whom the Heat swept to set up a second round series against the 1-seed Milwaukee Bucks and back to back MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Butler scored 40 points in a game one victory and stamped authority on the series that the Heat would go on to win 4-1. 

    Miami would face the Celtics in the Conference Finals, and an even spread would get the job done for the Heat. Rookie sensation Tyler Herro scored a Miami Heat playoff rookie record 37 points in game four and emerging All Star center Bam Adebayo became just the fourth Miami Heat player to have a 30 point, 10 rebound and 5 assist statline in a playoff game in the closing game six. The Heat would win the Eastern Conference Finals 4-2 to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014, facing the Los Angeles Lakers. 

    Game one of the Finals saw both Dragic and Adebayo go down with injuries, allowing Jimmy Butler to put up one of the best individual Finals series performances in history. Game three saw Butler put up a 40-point triple double while game five saw Butler put up the first 35-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist and 5-steal statline in NBA Finals history.

    Despite Butler’s historic performance during the series, it wasn’t enough to overcome LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers, losing in six games.

    While Miami had an incredible run during the 2020 Bubble & Playoffs, no one expected them to drop off like they did. While they suffered absences due to COVID-19 and injuries, the Heat seemed to regress in the 2020-21 season, finishing sixth in the East.

    Coming up against Milwaukee, who they upset in the second round in 2020, Miami had their work cut out for them. They may have taken the Bucks to overtime in Game One, but were never a match, getting swept and leaving plenty of questions about whether this group, and the younger players, are good enough.

    The Miami Heat had a successful campaign in 2021-22 as they finished in first place of the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately that momentum didn’t carry all the way over into the playoffs as they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.

    Expert 2022-23 Picks & Preview on Miami Heat

    If you are a fan of the Miami Heat, then you know that the only thing that matters right now is how they are expected to perform in the 2022-23 season. Do the Miami Heat have the star power to make it all the way to the playoffs and win The Finals in 2023?

    Have a read on below at SportsTips expert picks & preview on the Miami Heat:

    Front Office

    Erik Spoelstra is the head coach of the Miami Heat, and this upcoming 2022-23 National Basketball Association season will be his fifteenth season in charge of the franchise. He has been coaching in the league for fifteen years overall as a head coach and over the course of his coaching career he has made the playoffs 11 times and has made the finals five times, and won twice. His overall record in the regular season currently sits at 660-453. While his overall playoff record is currently sitting at 96-65. 

    Andy Elisburg is the general manager of the Miami Heat and he has held that position within the franchise since 2013. This upcoming 2022-23 National Basketball Association season will be his 10th season as the decision maker for the franchise. He started with the organization way back in 1988. 

    Key Players

    Jimmy Butler is the best player on this team’s roster and he is sure to make a huge impact during the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. This upcoming season will be his 12th season in the National Basketball Association. Last season he put up some impressive numbers as he averaged around 21 points per game. He set up his teammates as well as he averaged around five and a half assists per game. He also managed to do some work on the boards as he averaged around six rebounds per game. 

    The second key player on this roster is Tyler Herro and this upcoming season will be his fourth season in the National Basketball Association. Last season he put up some impressive numbers as he averaged around 21 points per game. He set up his teammates as well as he averaged around four assists per game. He also managed to do some work on the boards as he averaged around five rebounds per game.

    Breakout Player

    Nikola Jovic will be the breakout player on this team’s roster and he is sure to make a huge impact during the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. He is a former 27th overall pick in the 2022 National Basketball Association Draft. This upcoming season will be his first season in the National Basketball Association after playing professionally in Serbia for a season. Last season he put up some impressive numbers as he averaged around 12 points per game. 

    He set up his teammates as well as he averaged around three and a half assists per game. He also managed to do some work on the boards as he averaged around five rebounds per game. He put in some work on the defensive end of the court as well, averaging around one steal per game and one block per game. His list of accolades is impressive as he is a former top prospect, two time champion and Most Valuable Player award winner. He is expected to make an immediate impact for the Miami Heat this season.

    Miami Heat Betting and Odds Preview 2022-23

    The Miami Heat campaign during the 2021-22 National Basketball Association season went about as you would’ve expected. They finished the year with a record of 53-29 and in first place of the Southeast Division. The Heat made a run all the way to Eastern Conference Finals last season and they will look to remain in contention this season. 

    There is a lot of optimism surrounding the franchise heading into the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. If they want to improve or keep up their current level of play they will certainly need a ton of production from their stars over the course of the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. The most important thing in any season is how a team starts out of the gate, and then how they look when the all-star break approaches. 

    In the National Basketball Association, a lot can change over a single off-season. It will be interesting to see how their offseason moves translate onto the basketball court over the course of the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. Based on their odds to win some hardware headed into the season it is clear how the oddsmakers in Las Vegas feel about them heading into the year. 

    Their odds to bring home the Southeast Division championship this season currently sit at -155 heading into the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season, which puts them first in the Southeast Division out of five teams. 

    While their odds to win the Eastern Conference currently sit at +800 heading into the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season, which puts them fifth in the Eastern Conference out of 15 teams. Their overall odds to bring home the championship are currently sitting at +1600 heading into the 2022-23 season, as they rank eighth out of all 30 teams in the National Basketball Association.

    Miami Heat FAQs

    Still got some burning questions about the Miami Heat? Well, we have answered some of the most common questions people have, hopefully you will find the answer you are looking for below! 

    Where do the Miami Heat play?

    The Miami Heat play their home games at the FTX Arena. 

    Who owns the Miami Heat?

    Micky Arison is the owner of the Miami Heat. 

    Have the Miami Heat won an NBA Championship?

    The Miami Heat have won 3 NBA championships. 

    Who is the Miami Heat coach?

    Eric Spoelstra is the head coach of the Miami Heat.

    Do the Miami Heat play tonight?

    Are you wondering if the Miami Heat are playing tonight? Well, SportsTips has all the details you need about upcoming Miami Heat games! Make sure you check this page at the top for all the details you are looking for.

    What is the Miami Heat record?

    The Miami Heat had a 53-29 win-loss record for the 2021-22 NBA season. 

    Did the Miami Heat win last night?

    Fans of the Miami Heat are all wanting to know if they won the game last night. You can find more information in relation to the team’s recent form in games on the page at the top.

    How much are the Miami Heat worth?

    According to Forbes Magazine, the Miami Heat  are worth $2.3 billion. 

    Who do the Miami Heat play tonight?

    Like a lot of things in the NBA, things change pretty quickly. So, if you are looking for more information about who the Miami Heat play tonight, you have come to the right place. We have all this information for you in detail, you can find these details for upcoming games at the top of the page.

    How to watch the Miami Heat?

    You can watch the Miami Heat on TV channels like ESPN, ABC, TNT, NBA TV or Fox Sports Southeast, or subscribe to NBA League Pass.

    Will the Miami Heat make the playoffs this year?

    The Miami Heat did make the playoffs in the 2021-22 season after finishing 1st in the East with a 59-23 record. 

    When do the Miami Heat play?

    Miami Heat fans are always looking for more information about when their team plays the next game. For all the information you have been craving and more, be sure to check the top of this page. Here at SportsTips we list all the information you need like the tip off time, location of the game and the all important NBA odds.

    Where did the Miami Heat finish the season?

    The Miami Heat finished the 2021-22 NBA season in 1st place in the Eastern Conference. 

    How many games did the Miami Heat win?

    The Miami Heat won 59 games during the 2021-22 NBA season.