2005 Miami Heat: Setting The Stage For Greatness

The Miami Heat were a franchise back on the ascent in 2005. After a string of playoff seasons under Pat Riley (1996-2001), the Heat had slipped in 2002-03. Riley moved up to the front office, Stan Van Gundy became the head coach and Miami got in position to draft Dwayne Wade out of Marquette. In ’04, the Heat got back to the right side of .500 made the playoffs. In 2005, they made another major acquisition, launched themselves onto the first tier of championship contenders and set the stage for bigger things in the immediate future.

In his second year, Wade averaged 24 points/5 rebounds/7 assists per game. Eddie Jones was a reliable wing player, scoring 13 ppg. Damon Jones was in the backcourt, a good shooter and double-digit scorer. Udonis Haslem could score and rebound down low.

That was a nice group, but they needed something else. They got in the person of Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq was having a highly publicized falling out with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles and wanted out of town, something that effectively ended the great Laker Dynasty of the first half of the decade.

Miami paid a pretty penny—the package they parted with included Caron Butler and Lamar Odom. But Shaq was worth the investment. In 2005, he averaged 23 points/10 rebounds per game and finished second in the MVP voting.

The Heat came storming out of the gate. While they dropped a tough 78-77 decision on Black Friday to the defending champion Detroit Pistons, Miami still got out to a 22-7 start that was punctuated by Shaq’s Christmas Day return to Los Angeles where the Heat beat the Lakers in overtime.

A few days later, Miami got an 89-78 win over Detroit and continued to play good basketball moving forward. The Heat were 33-13 at the end of January and six games clear of the field in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons started to close the gap in February, and while Miami was 42-16 going into March, their lead in the loss column was down to three games over Detroit.

But a 12-game winning streak down the stretch all but put away the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat finished 59-23. They were tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the second-best record overall, and only the 62-win Phoenix Suns won more games than Miami.

The Nets, then located in New Jersey were the first-round opponent. They were only two seasons removed from consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, and had the duo of Jason Kidd and Vince Carter leading the way. But the third part of their success, forward Richard Jefferson had been injured much of the year. The Nets finished 42-40 and Jefferson would play limited minutes in this postseason.

What New Jersey had done all year was play good defense, ranking sixth in efficiency. Which made Miami’s 59 percent shooting in the series opener all the more impressive. Wade went off for 32 points. Jones poured in 30, including 7-for-9 from behind the arc. The Heat won 116-98.

Miami showcased their defense in Game 2, setting the tone by taking a 26-16 lead after the first quarter. While Wade had a rough night shooting the ball, the Heat held the Nets to 36 percent from the floor. Miami also got 21 points/9 rebounds from veteran center Alonzo Mourning, who came off the bench. With a 104-87 win, the Heat held serve at home.

Game 3 in the Meadowlands was a barnburner and went two overtimes. Wade got 22 points, but at the cost of 6-for-19 shooting. Jones scored 20, and hit 5-for-9 from three-point range. That was ultimately the difference—Miami was 10/22 behind the arc while New Jersey struggled to 3/23. The Heat survived 108-105 and put a stranglehold on the series.

They finished the job in Game 4. After a couple of ragged outings, Wade was back in rhythm. He hit 13 of 20 shots from the floor and finished with 34 points. Jones scored 21, while Shaq added 17. Miami shot 55 percent and held New Jersey to 40 percent. A comfortable 110-97 win closed the sweep.

Washington was up next. The Wizards were a 45-win team and potent offensively. They had a trio of 20ppg scorers in Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Antwan Jamison. Where the Wizards were vulnerable was on defense, where they only ranked 23^rd in efficiency.

Miami exploited that soft defense right away in Game 1, shooting 52 percent. They held Washington down to 37 percent from the floor. A close game was broken open in the third quarter and the Heat cruised to a 105-86 win.

While 20 turnovers slowed Miami down a bit in Game 2, they still shot 58 percent, getting what they wanted from the Wizards defense. Wade went off for 31 points/7 rebounds/15 assists. Jones scored 21. Haslem delivered 14 points/13 rebounds. The Heat got off to a fast start and then chiseled out a 108-102 win.

Back in the nation’s capital for Game 3, Wade continued to pour it on, putting up a 31/9/6 line. With Shaq in and out due to nagging injuries, Haslem and Mourning combined for 26 points and 25 rebounds, as Miami controlled the boards. They used a 30-19 third quarter to get some space in a win that ended 102-95.

Washington didn’t roll over, and the Heat trailed by four points at halftime of Game 4. Shaq was sitting this one out. Wade stepped up and dropped in 42 points. For the third time in the series, the Heat enjoyed a dominant third quarter, this one 40-25. With a 99-95 win, Miami had a second straight sweep and was on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Detroit was waiting. And while Shaq was back and playing, the Heat weren’t quite ready to take the final step. They dropped the opener at home to give up homecourt advantage and struggled with turnovers throughout the series. But they also showed some toughness, winning Game 3 on the road and shooting 47 percent for the series against an excellent defensive team.

It might have been enough had Wade not pulled a rib cage muscle in the closing minutes of a Game 5 win that put Miami on the brink of advancing. He sat out Game 6 back in Detroit, a game the Heat were routed in. Wade then shot 7-for-20 in Game 7. Shaq scored 27 in the finale, but it wasn’t enough to avert an 88-82 loss.

Miami would wait until next year. But what a year it would be. In 2006, Riley returned to the bench early in the season. The Heat got a rematch with the Pistons in the conference finals. This time, they knocked Detroit out, en route to winning the franchise’s first NBA championship. The groundwork for that success was put firmly in place in 2005.