Hating on the Heat Becoming America's Hobby

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

As a fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers (yes, even post LeBron), I have to confess that there's a part of me that greatly enjoys seeing the Miami Heat in its current state. I'm pretty sure I'm far from the only one taking that stand.

Well, Dwayne Wade believes that's the case.

“The Miami Heat are exactly what everyone wanted, losing games,” Wade said. “The world is better now because the Heat is losing.”

From my view, Wade couldn't be more on point with his statement. The Heat have more than their fair share of haters. By the same token, I think Wade is missing a point or two here.

First, don't play the pity card. It's not becoming one bit. Second, the basketball world has every right to express its hatred of the Heat. Every last right. Follow along here.

Why all the hate for Miami? The answer is simple. Ego.

Let's look back at where the hating all began. It didn't begin with Wade. It didn't even begin with Chris Bosh. It began with LBJ and "The Decision". It's flowed fervently from there ever since. The cockiness and arrogance of how that charade went down not only left a city and a franchised spurned, it left the door completely open for hatred to enter.

And has it ever entered. It's harshness completely felt in the aftermath of a fourth straight defeat.

But that alone isn't it. It's the "festivities" that ensued.


Instead of having a little media outing to announce the signings, the Heat decided to make a boastful bash in which Wade, Bosh and James were all paraded in front of the Heat fans. It was during this "party" where the world heard LBJ proclaim this...

What you don't hear is the question being asked about the number of championships the big three will bring to Miami. That's where this clip picks up. With James and his answer.

All you have to do is listen to the first five seconds and you get it. But watch a little more. The wry smile on Pat Riley's face when hearing these words from LeBron. The reaction from Wade when James makes his royal proclamation. It's fitting that the world hates on the Heat. What the hell are you celebrating?


All three of the big three do bear some responsibility. In the past as a Cav, James would "defer" to his teammates as the cause. Bosh dished out the same in Toronto. They were never the issue. It was the roster. Need good players around. Well, those two do now have not only a good player, but a great one. Still, the Heat struggle and the majority of basketball fans celebrate their failure.

I'll go so far to say that one of the big three can be eliminated from that. I'm somewhat willing to let Bosh off the hook here. He's not that well known for having a perimeter game. That goes more to Wade than any of the three. I'm not saying Wade deserves the brunt of the blame though.

And you know I'm not letting James off the hook. He's usually the one with the ball in his hands during these crucial moments. Instead of driving, he's settling for jumpers. He's built like a tight end, but willing to stay 18 feet away from the rim on an iso.

None of the three have aided their cause as the season has transpired. Before the season even began, James was wagging his finger at the Heat detractors on Twitter. A quote here, a quote there. Any time any of these three speak, it can be used against them. And it has. I'm wondering if they knew what lay ahead of them when those contracts were signed. Of course, they probably never thought the team would struggle as it has either.

And now we come the news that yesterday a couple of the Heat players were crying after the loss to the Chicago Bulls. Much will be made of the tears and people will want to know who was shedding those tears, but that's not the issue here. It isn't to me. The issue is this team cannot simply handle the pressure that's been placed on their shoulders.

It's now common knowledge that the Heat can't beat a good team. It's common knowledge that the Heat cannot close out a game. It's now common knowledge that the Heat are lost when those high-pressure situations develop. Yes, the hatred will ebb and flow as the team either wins or loses.

And for those saying that these guys need time to gel are now off their collective rockers.

Seriously? These guys have now played over three quarters of a season together and they still haven't figured out to play on the same court with one ball? Blame Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra all you want. I know he's feeling the pressure as well, but when you have three huge egos and only one ball, well, things won't go as planned even by the best of coaches.

That includes Pat Riley. I love Riley as a coach, too. I don't think even he could flip this in the other direction. I don't think Phil Jackson could either. His Zen philosophy would fall on deaf ears. The only coach from any era that may be able to perform such an exorcism on this team would be John Wooden. Yet, I don't know if these guys would listen to even him.

You would think the hatred would drive this team. Instead, it debilitates them.