NBA: Why Do Fans Hate the Heat? - Joe Chacon's Blog

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NBA: Why Do Fans Hate the Heat? Stuck

Posted on June 6, 2012 at 04:50 AM.

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One of the most common things I've heard since the playoffs began is, "I don't care who wins, as long as it's not the Heat."

Are you one of those people?

As somebody who writes 25-50 sports articles and blog posts on various sites throughout the week, I need to try and carry as open of a mind as possible. For whatever reason I too feel a dislike for Miami's basketball team.

At first I thought it was because of LeBron James. His pompous attitude when he left Cleveland still resonates negatively with me. But, as a Laker fan, I have to deal with pompous attitudes on a weekly basis. So that can't be it.

Perhaps it is Dwyane Wade and the way he always looks like he doesn't care. Maybe it's because he broke Kobe's nose or how the media sweeps his cheap shots on others under the rug as if they never happened. Yes, maybe he's the reason I hate the Heat.

The Heat have players I like though. Shane Battier has long been one of the hardest working players in the league. Chris Bosh, although dramatic on the court at times, is one of those players who carries himself as a true professional on and off the court.

James carries himself well off the court too. He is involved in countless charities and doesn't allow himself to get into legal trouble. As far as I can tell, he seems like a very decent man.

Wade appears to be the same way. We don't hear much from the "Big Three" during the off-season because they don't get into trouble. So why do I feel the need to see them fail?

After watching their Game Five loss against Boston the reason became crystal clear. It's not the way these players conduct themselves off the court that irk me, but rather it is how they play the game of basketball with no passion whatsoever.

If you have the Game Five saved on your DVR, watch how bad they are in transition. Rajon Rondo was right, they stop to complain to the referee's after almost every transition.

If James or Wade drive to the basket and miss the shot, they don't sprint back on defense. Instead they either complain to the referee or they put their hands on their knees before slowly trotting back to play defense.

The lack of effort, coupled with the smugness James and Wade carry themselves with on the court is why I am inclined to smirk if they lose.

Before the Miami faithful rip my head off, please note that I felt the same sort of hatred towards my beloved Los Angeles Lakers this year. Andrew Bynum single handedly aged me at least five years with his selfish attitude and lack of hustle.

Why do people get so much joy from seeing the Miami Heat fail?

Joe Chacon is a Staff Writer for Operation Sports and a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

Comments

# 1 Kentucky_Wildcat23 @ Jun 6

There are many reasons people dislike and hate the Miami Heat.

One reason is they don't like the way the Heat came together. The 3 stars joining together and the "celebration" they had in South Beach.

A lot of people feel LeBron is "cocky" and feel he is overrated when its the medias fault he is so called "overrated". When he was in high school ESPN was the one who put him on the front of Sports Illustrated and created all the hype for the young 17 year old LeBron. He never had a chance with most fans starting right there.

The Heat do play the game with passion! They wouldn't be showing they care on the court if they didn't. Just because they are complaining on the way back to defense doesn't mean they play with "passion".

The Heat are missing a coach who can lead those 3 stars. The Heat have to do the little things to win and get those 50/50 balls.

# 2 Kentucky_Wildcat23 @ Jun 6

...doesn't mean they don't play with "passion".

# 3 thaSLAB @ Jun 6

I definitely agree with what you wrote Joe. I would probably add in that a lot of their problems stem from the fact that the coach is neither respected, nor in control of the players.

# 4 jscrub3 @ Jun 6

I feel like it started with LeBron's "Decision" that just felt like overkill.

Then that celebration like they won the championship already, with that "not 1, not 2, not 3..." quote just came off so unbelievably cocky, that it just wasn't cool.

# 5 Joe Chacon @ Jun 6

@Kentucky_Wildcat23: Great points, UK. Perhaps discounting their passion entirely was a bit too extreme on my part.

@theSLAB: I completely agree. Spoelstra appears to be a coach who puts in all the work needed to win, but it hasn't translated into the ultimate goal for Miami. Who knows, maybe they will still win it all this year which would give Spoelstra more of that credibility he needs attached to his resume.

# 6 ps3veron @ Jun 6

I have a feeling we might be getting into some serious arguments lol..

Coming from NY, I get all the heat (no pun intended) for being a a Miami fan

And I have heard it all: glory hunter, LeBum etc.. but I have been a fan since the Rice and Mourning days. I guess everyone's hatred is based on a combination of those who say "cockyness" and just good players lol..

People hate Man.United, people hate the Lakers (including myself), there has to be a correlation between success, arrogance and perhaps winning?

I love Miami (as a city) and I love the Heat and some of you may say Lebron is cocky but folks, please take a look at Kobe, he's not down to earth either! See y'all in the finals

# 7 chi_hawks @ Jun 6

1) Not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, etc....
2) The Heat blatently tampered to get these guys to agree ahead of time. They ended up sending a bunch of draft picks to cleveland to avoid extra litigation and punishment
3) Lebron said hed get Cleveland a ring before ever leaving
4) The entire team whines to the officials
5) The crowd not showing up til the middle of the 2nd quarter
6) Because all 3 are pre-madonna's.
7) LeBron's stupid "decision" special.
8) Wade saying his family is in Miami (while in other news, his real family lives in Chicago)
9) The NBA title like celebration they had after beating Boston in the semi's last year
10) Lebron has Nike reps take away video of him getting dunked on by a kid
11) ESPN's lovefest with the Miami Heat (similar to Yankees)
12) Lebron sold sponsorships to his birthday party
13) 90% of Miami Heat fans weren't Miami Heat fans before July 2010
14) The Heat's 06 title was BS and a hose job by the refs

I could go on but yeah, there are plenty of reasons to hate on Miami.

# 8 tommyboii2008 @ Jun 6

1. The Poor "Decision" by Lebron to go on ESPN and announce he was leaving Cleveland (Even though there were no Cavs fans before LeBron)

2. The Concert ALL 3 of them threw before Game 1. Smoke, Music, Fireworks. RIDICULOUS.

3. "Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, Not 4..." Still Havent Won.

4. People are upset Lebron didnt go to their Team.

5. The Biggest reason "Fans" hate the Heat is because people hate Lebron. Because the media hyped him as the Best Player since 2003 as @Kentucky eluded to. People placed that title on Lebron and he hasnt won a championship yet..

# 9 BengalsFan99 @ Jun 6

I Still feel that Lebron should have either went to NY or stayed in Ohio! NY cause i'm a Knicks fan and they would have had a killer lineup with him, Amare, and Melo with lebron playing PG; it would have been PERFECT!! Ohio because I thought it was B.S. with him saying nobody wanted to come play with him there! I thought that was a BIG lie; Dan Gilbert would have paid anybody to help Lebron. Hell he gave Shaq $20million and he was fat and lazy. I have never liked the Heat and I have never liked Dwade; he has always been a crybaby and if it wasnt for a motivated Shaq he would be ringless just like James. Yeah he was the MVP Finals but Shaq gave him the confidence and swag to play beyond his wildest dreams. Im Out....

# 10 bigsmallwood @ Jun 6

I don't know why people feel compelled to hate the Heat, but I personally don't. Are they a little "hollywood" absolutely. And for that reason they have yet to win a title in the Big Three Era. They need to play with heart and stop complaining after every play. Other than that I don't see a reason to hate them....they are just a team that lacks team values at this point.

# 11 huntt26 @ Jun 6

Lebron is an excellent player but "They are hollywood as hell"

# 12 mattyice12 @ Jun 6

I hate the heat because i feel they get babied by the league because they have star players. The thing the other leagues do well is treat the stars and the scrubs the same. For example if Lebron gets hacked going to the basket and it gets called, next time a guy like Keyon Dooling or Marquis Daniels gets hacked it should be called. It shouldn't matter who you are. A foul is a foul. LeBron didn't get his first foul until the 3rd quarter last night. That's stupid. He commits fouls every trip down the floor pretty much.

# 13 gerg1234 @ Jun 6

Because they are the Miami Hubris. They thought it would be easy. They thought the NBA would roll over and we would all be lucky to be able to witness greatness. It's not even the decision for me. It's that they have the same attitude as Paris Hilton.

# 14 trekfan @ Jun 6

I hate the Heat for one reason alone; they're a poorly constructed team. You'd think with all the rings Pat Riley has, and all the success he's had, he'd be able to anticipate that Wade and Lebron wouldn't work well together. I mean, the dude pulled off a video game like move signing Wade, Lebron, and Bosh.

Wade and Lebron play too similar styles of basketball. They can't work together. One of them will HAVE to be traded in the offseason to make the team work or Lebron will have to become a full-time Magic Johnson-esqe point guard (which he doesn't want to be).

Further, from a GM point of view, signing Haslem and Miller (two hometown Florida guys) was a bonehead move. Signing Joel Anthony to a deal was also bonehead-there are cheaper, more effective backups. The Heat have compromised themselves for the next three years or so with the albatross contracts of Haslem, Miller, and Anthony; further their lack of draft pics due to the signing of Wade, Lebron, and Bosh means a new influx of young talent will be tapered off at best.

# 15 charter04 @ Jun 6

I don't hate them but, I don't like them. It's not every player though. Just the "big 3". I haven't liked Wade since the finals against the Mav's when the NBA tried to make him the next Jordan. I used to like Labron when he was with Cleveland but, then he went to the Heat and thought Wade would get him a ring. I just hated to whole celebrating before they won anything. I used to like the Heat. I liked Steve Smith and Glen Rice. I just can't stand it when the Heat act like they are supposed to win just because they have those three players. That is why I love to see them lose. I'm a Mav's fan and have been for years. That made this past Finals all the more sweet. And I get tired of the "*****'s gonna Hate" stuff. They haven't won anything yet so what's to hate. LOL

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