Posted on Sun, Mar. 21, 2004

 

Unity equates to wins for Heat

 

One by one, they've been coming up to Caron Butler for days now, giants bearing these tiny, thoughtful gifts. This is the caveman culture of the locker room, where insults pass for intimacy, but Butler is about to be a father, and he has been taken aback every time another Heat teammate has appeared with a pretty or perfumed package for his unborn baby.

 

''In the NBA?'' he says.

 

He laughs.

 

''My car is full of gifts,'' he said after Saturday's 101-69 blowout of the Philadelphia Iversons. ``Every one of the guys has given me something. People have even come over to the house to help me put together the crib.''

 

There is something special happening with this newborn Heat team.

 

Maybe the winning has brought the players together.

 

Or maybe it is the other way around.

 

''We go to the movies together,'' Butler says.

 

How many Heat players? Four or five?

 

''No,'' Butler says. ``All of us.''

 

Really?

 

''What we have here,'' Butler says, ``is very rare.''

 

Across the locker room, Brian Grant is soaking a million aches, ice all over, painkillers at his side.

 

''This is the most fun I've ever had with the Heat,'' Grant says. ``It's priceless, man. Being able to high-five and smile not because you are supposed to but because you are legitimately enjoying yourself. It's good to be fighting for something together with these guys.''

 

ONCE DIVIDED

 

Once upon a time, in this same locker room, quiet Jamal Mashburn and vacant Voshon Lenard were, too, themselves and didn't much get along with Tim Hardaway.

 

Now?

 

''I've never had this much fun,'' Lamar Odom says. ``I've never experienced anything like this in the NBA.''

 

It wasn't this way under Pat Riley. The pressure was perpetually ratcheted up to a place that made it a gravitational impossibility to smile. There was winning, yes, but very little that felt like joy. Hard to say what all the Heat's fun is worth empirically, if anything, but the frat-house Marlins showed us how far feel-good can carry you.

 

The Heat won't be winning any titles this year -- just reaching the playoffs would make the season a spectacular success -- but it's certainly good to see an NBA team genuinely appreciating and enjoying a livelihood at play while Tracy McGrady complains about a lack of motivation, Allen Iverson feuds with yet another coach and the Portland Trail Blazers find new and creative ways to get arrested.

 

The Heat's style of play? Well, that's fun, too. Athletic fan favorites such as Ricky Davis, Eddie House and Mark Strickland had a very hard time getting off Riley's bench as the Heat played disciplined quicksand ball. But this young and entertaining Miami team plays above the rim, in another atmosphere.

 

''We've got youthful guys, very excitable,'' Grant said. ``What did we have last year? Two guys who could dunk?''

 

A COVETED BUNCH

 

Odd, isn't it? That the team with Iverson wouldn't be the most exciting one on Saturday's floor? This is odd, too: Iverson and all his headaches are available to the team willing to make a trade, but you wouldn't package Odom and Dwyane Wade for him at this point, would you? The Heat's future is young and promising and fun enough that you wouldn't trade it for one of the game's 10 best superstars even though Iverson is merely 28.

 

The Heat spent a lot of time laughing and smiling Saturday while kicking in Philadelphia's teeth. Rafer Alston, in particular, has injected this franchise with his streetball swagger, pointing at Philadelphia's bench after hitting three-pointers and playing with a passion more contagious than the measles. He leads the league in smiles.

 

''You've got a lot of spectacular here,'' Alston said afterward. ``We've got to give people something to bring them in here from the beach.''

 

The flawed Heat remains limited, especially on the road, especially in the middle, but it has been a long time since this franchise felt this good. The franchise is not unlike the baby Caron Butler is expecting along with his extended Heat family -- filled with hope and possibility and about to enter a new world filled with smiles.

 

Nice read.

 

Interesting how this team has good chemistry like some team that won the WS in 2003 :whistle

 

 

Article

yeah i was just thinking that the heat are playing like the marlins. young, coming together at the right time

 

sidenote: i hate lebetard, lebastard, lebuttard, leretard, or whatever you wanna call him

I don't like him either but it's a nice article.

 

It's incredible how hope was lost after the 0-7 start, there were no smiles, just frustrating faces struggling to get that first win and look at them now, they can't even stop grinning in their 6th seed playoff spot.

 

Damn I love this team.

The difference between the teams is the Marlins had a legitimate shot at making noise in the playoffs while the Heat will certainly not make it past round 2.

The difference between the teams is the Marlins had a legitimate shot at making noise in the playoffs while the Heat will certainly not make it past round 2.

theyll have a shot in the first round only if they play new jersey

the only way they could get out of the second round is if theres a huge upset on indiana or detroit

right now we would get jersey in the 1st round. i said at the beginning of the year i just wanted to see improvement and a playoff race, and ive gotten that. im happy with what this team has done. they're on their way back

playing NJ without Kidd could be awesome

 

Miami has had Jersey's number even without Ason Kidd so you never know . . .

The difference between the teams is the Marlins had a legitimate shot at making noise in the playoffs while the Heat will certainly not make it past round 2.

theyll have a shot in the first round only if they play new jersey

the only way they could get out of the second round is if theres a huge upset on indiana or detroit I think the same exact things were said about the Marlins in all three of their series so I wouldnt count out the Heat just yet.

Let's make the playoffs first before we start discussing how deep we'll make it.

 

I wouldn't rule anything out.

 

I mean wheoever thought the Heat could be here after that horrendous start?

i seriously dont see us beating indiana or detroit in a 7 game series but who knows. truth be told i just want to see what offseason moves they make to add to odom, wade and butler (who i think is climbing back to his old form) to eventually get us back to where we were a few years ago and of course beyond that level.

We don't really have any money (we spent it all on Mr.Odom) and we won't get a high pick in the draft....so with the excpection of a trade, nothing much will go on.

 

I could see the Heat trying to get Grant/Jones's contracts off their backs with some trades. We'll see.

with a legit center, this team will be back to the days of hardaway, mash, and zo

But the question is..where are we gonna find this center?

grant or jones are the main guys that have to go, i think we might have to include butler in a trade for that to happen.

Eddy Curry! Come on Chicago.

 

I know some of you must be thinking I'm crazy, but he's like a poor man's Shaq(unfortunately bad free throwing is also included).

NOOOOO!! I'm not letting Butler leave!!

 

But I see where you're coming from, no team is gonna take a veteran with a big contract without some young potential...

I think Eddie Curry and Jamal Crawford have tremendous potential..they're just in the wrong place.

 

They would fill in the 2 positions we so desperately need.

 

Well, first of all...that'd be almost impossible to get Chitown to hand over both of em and plus, its a risk and they're young and we would need at least some veterans..

i think crawford is a restricted FA at the end of the year.

 

about the big men, chicago took in antonio davis in the jalen rose deal who has about 4-5 years left on his deal i think (i dont know what they were thinking). i really dont know what theyre planning though

What do you expect? Leretard does this with every one of our teams when they start playing good, whether it's the Marlins or the Heat, or the Dolphins.

What do you expect? Leretard does this with every one of our teams when they start playing good, whether it's the Marlins or the Heat, or the Dolphins.

but not the Panthers?

i think crawford is a restricted FA at the end of the year.

 

about the big men, chicago took in antonio davis in the jalen rose deal who has about 4-5 years left on his deal i think (i dont know what they were thinking). i really dont know what theyre planning though

The Bulls are in a big mess..they don't know what the hell they're doing. They're probably just waiting for the draft and then they'll see what's next.

Le Retard is an idiot. But usually a good barometer of when something is obvious and a good bet. The Heat are a good bet because they are starting to get healthy and gelling. This is a far different atmosphere than when Riley, whom I adore, was here. I think Riles was wise enough to recognize that this team DID need a new voice and attitude. Van Gundy (#2) has been great this season.

 

I think the Heat can beat ANYONE in the Eastern Conference. If this team is healthy, and everyone plays to their potential, this team could represent the East in the Finals. Yes, I did not stutter.

 

The only team I see us having problems with is Indiana because they have a lot of height. But we have a far more athletic backcourt than they do which could present problems for them in terms of matchups and defense. We would just have to be aggressive and attack the rim (which Wade does superbly).

 

As far as personnel goes, the only thing this team needs is a legit center. I would LOVE for the Heat to deal for Okafor. I would deal Grant and Jones straight up for him. (But that wont happen). That would give us probably the best talented young starting five in the NBA. We would have a lot of balance.

 

This team is very young. I think the future is bright and these players can make somethings happen during the playoffs. Let's see how far UP the chart they go first.

Le Retard is an idiot. But usually a good barometer of when something is obvious and a good bet. The Heat are a good bet because they are starting to get healthy and gelling. This is a far different atmosphere than when Riley, whom I adore, was here. I think Riles was wise enough to recognize that this team DID need a new voice and attitude. Van Gundy (#2) has been great this season.

 

I think the Heat can beat ANYONE in the Eastern Conference. If this team is healthy, and everyone plays to their potential, this team could represent the East in the Finals. Yes, I did not stutter.

 

The only team I see us having problems with is Indiana because they have a lot of height. But we have a far more athletic backcourt than they do which could present problems for them in terms of matchups and defense. We would just have to be aggressive and attack the rim (which Wade does superbly).

 

As far as personnel goes, the only thing this team needs is a legit center. I would LOVE for the Heat to deal for Okafor. I would deal Grant and Jones straight up for him. (But that wont happen). That would give us probably the best talented young starting five in the NBA. We would have a lot of balance.

 

This team is very young. I think the future is bright and these players can make somethings happen during the playoffs. Let's see how far UP the chart they go first.

very well put.

 

But don't set your heart on Okafor, no team would give up a young star like that for 2 not 100% healthy over-payed veterans.

I wish we could jack Okafor.

 

There are no other real big men coming into the draft this year from the senior class, and there isn't really that much height in college at the moment in general, so finding a nice true center will be a hard task. But we could steal a stud in the middle-late first round, and maybe deal him for a center or just play an upbeat, run around the court style that can counter height.

What about free agency? We'd be better off with an established center.