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The Miami Heat have been in the NBA for 34 seasons and have made the NBA Playoffs 23 times, with three NBA championships to their name. Although they are a relatively new franchise, the Heat have often run into success and have had some historic players on their roster.
Off the court, in terms of non-players, Pat Riley has definitely been the most important individual for the franchise. As a coach, Riley won an NBA championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat. He then put together the 'Big Three' Miami Heat and earned two more titles with the franchise as Team President.
Over the years, Miami fans have seen numerous great players wear the Heat's colors. Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen and Jimmy Butler are some of the standout examples.
5 Best teams in the Miami Heat's NBA history
Most of those players even played together deep in the NBA Playoffs, and some delivered silverware in the shape of Larry O'Brien trophies. After playing in the 2020 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat endured a tough run in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, losing in the first round. They were swept by eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.
The team has a moderately revamped roster for the upcoming season, with the arrival of veteran Kyle Lowry improving the team in the playmaking area. The Miami Heat are not one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference, but could definitely provide tough competition for the other teams.
In this article, we will look at the five best teams ever assembled in Miami Heat's history. Of course, we will go year by year, as there are always some small tweaks to teams, even though the core might remain the same.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 1996-97 Miami Heat
The 1996-97 Miami Heat are a team that are scarcely mentioned among the best teams from the 1990s Eastern Conference, but the squad had an elite season. Coached by Pat Riley and led by Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning on the court, the team put up a 61-21 record in the regular season, with their best players making it to the All-Star Game.
The 61 wins in the regular season were the highest in franchise history at the time, and rank second today. In the 1997 NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat (the second seed in the East) made a good run after defeating the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, Michael Jordan and the 69-13 Chicago Bulls faced Riley's team and won the series in five games to advance to the 1997 NBA Finals and eventually win the title. Regardless, it was the Miami Heat's best run in the NBA Playoffs at that point in time.
#4 2010-11 Miami Heat
The first season of the 'Big Three' Miami Heat was a success... until the 2011 NBA Finals took place, and the season ultimately ended in disappointment. Still, there's no argument against such a squad not being one of the best in Miami Heat's history.
With LeBron James and Chris Bosh arriving from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors, respectively, and joining Dwyane Wade, the team automatically turned into the strongest candidate for the NBA title.
The trio guided the team to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, behind the Chicago Bulls and NBA MVP Derrick Rose. Of course, the start was not great for the newly-formed Big Three, as they only managed a 9-8 record early on. From that point on, however, the Heat won 21 of their next 22 games. They began looking like a team that would win titles as they promised before the start of the season.
A 58-24 record was the second-best for the Miami Heat during LeBron James' stint with the franchise, and was good enough for them to enter the postseason as a clear contender. After beating the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and the top-seeded Bulls, the Miami Heat were set to face the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki in the NBA Finals.
The Heat arguably should've taken a 3-0 lead after three games in the 2011 NBA Finals. But they lost the second game after taking a 15-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and were left to rue the missed opportunities.
Regardless, the side did manage to take a 2-1 lead on the road. But the series shifted immediately after, with the Heat and LeBron James struggling mightily. James even had a woeful eight-point outing in the fourth game, and the Mavs took advantage to win the title in six games.
James averaged 17.8 points in the series, and the Miami Heat could not overcome the Mavs in the deciding series.
Still, the 58-24 regular-season record and making it to the NBA Finals for only the second time in franchise history is good enough for the 2010-11 team to be considered one of Miami's best.
#3 2005-06 Miami Heat
After trading for Shaquille O'Neal in 2004 and pairing him with Dwyane Wade (who was selected in the 2003 NBA Draft), the Miami Heat looked tremendous in the 2004-05 NBA season.
O'Neal's first season in Miami ended with the Heat registering a 59-23 regular-season record (the third-best in franchise history right now) and the Stan Van Gundy-coached team came within one win of making it to the NBA Finals.
With Pat Riley returning to coaching duties after a 11-10 start, the Miami Heat went 52-30 in the 2005-06 regular-season and were once again a contender in the Eastern Conference.
That time, the team took down the Detroit Pistons (its 2005 nemesis) in a six-game Eastern Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals. In the 2006 NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade guided the Miami Heat to their first NBA championship, with the Wade-Shaq duo delivering for the franchise.
Wade was named Finals MVP in 2006 and that Heat team will always be remembered for coming back from a 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
#2 2011-12 Miami Heat
After the disappointment of the 2011 NBA Finals, the 'Big Three' Miami Heat returned to the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season looking to avenge their 2011 loss.
LeBron James was stellar again for the franchise during the regular season, putting up 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. Those numbers earned him his third NBA MVP.
In the NBA Playoffs, the Big Three had to overcome some issues. Most importantly, Chris Bosh missed part of the second-round series against the Indiana Pacers (where the Heat found itself down 2-1) and the early games of the ECF against the Boston Celtics.
LeBron James and the 'Big Three' came up clutch in the NBA Playoffs in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics despite facing tremendous adversities.
With the team down 3-2 and heading to Boston's TD Garden for Game 6, LeBron James put up arguably his greatest performance in the NBA Playoffs. 'The King' put up 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out five assists and made 19 of his 26 field goals to lead the Heat to a win.
Miami eventually won Game 7 and went on to beat OKC Thunder and their own Big Three (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden) in the 2012 NBA Finals. It was James' first NBA championship and the second in franchise history.
James also won his first Finals MVP award in 2012.
#1 2012-13 Miami Heat
The 2012-13 Miami Heat are not only the best team in franchise history, but also one of the best teams in NBA history. With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh coming off their first NBA championship together in 2012, the team headed into the 2012-13 season with loads of confidence.
The addition of Ray Allen was also great for the team, with the veteran shooter fitting perfectly into the Heat's offense.
The 2012-13 Miami Heat went 66-16 in the regular season, putting up the greatest record in a single season in franchise history. They also had a 27-game winning streak midway through the campaign, the second-best streak at the time (third-best currently).
In the 2013 NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat had a good run in the first two rounds before defeating the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals.
The veteran-laden San Antonio Spurs were the Miami Heat's rivals in the 2013 NBA Finals. Miami found themselves down 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before winning the final two games at home to become NBA champions once again.
Game 6 remains one of the most memorable games in NBA Finals history, with the Miami Heat putting up a season-saving comeback in the fourth quarter. The victory was capped off by a three-pointer from Ray Allen to tie the game with five seconds remaining. Allen's shot was definitely one of the biggest in NBA history and it helped the Heat erase a five-point deficit with 28 seconds on the clock.
The Miami Heat eventually pulled off an overtime win, and LeBron James' 37 points in Game 7 were enough for the Erik Spoelstra-coached team to secure back-to-back NBA titles.
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