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2012 NBA Finals |OT| Good Job, Good Effort

B

Blondie

Neo Member
Blackace said:
it really isn't that dope...
Click to expand...

Well I thought it was and the articles I posted of course referenced the 2006 bowl:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/sfl-miami-heat-nba-trophy-s062512,0,753285.story

"We had to see 16 of those notches before we could even get happy," Wade said. "In the locker room, we put that last notch on there, everybody started screaming, and yelling."

For Wade it was not a particularly unique exercise. When the Heat won the 2006 NBA championship, Riley, then coach, filled a tub in the middle of the locker room with "15 Strong" cards, signifying the commitment needed from each player on the roster.

Last year, when the Heat fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, there was nothing quite as tangible.

"If we did, it wasn't significant," Wade said. "It wasn't like this; it wasn't like '15 Strong.' I really don't remember us having anything last year."

This time it was a bond so tight, that it was not even exposed to Riley, who otherwise controls just about every aspect of the team's basketball operation.

"We didn't tell anybody," Spoelstra said. "We didn't tell the trainers. God bless you and I love you, but I didn't tell Pat. I didn't tell management."

The players appreciated the unique core of unity.

"I love Pat," Wade said, "but he's over there in that nice suit. So what Coach told us is this is just us."

From that first playoff meeting in April, it was 15 players and one trophy they hoped to turn into gold.


http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/heatzone/2012/06/25/the-black-trophy-and-what-it-meant-for-the-heat/

During the Heat’s 2006 championship postseason, Pat Riley had a bowl stuffed with “15 Strong” cards, featuring photos of the players and their families. That sat in the middle of the locker room in Miami, and was even brought to Dallas, its contents not revealed until the champagne flowed.

So what motivational trick did Erik Spoelstra spring for this run?

“The black trophy,” Spoelstra said.
 
I

iamshadowlark

Banned
Blondie said:
This is pretty dope:

Heat turn 'secret' trophy into championship gold.

"That was, I think, a powerful moment for the team, not for anybody else. And it was something that we referred back to a lot of times during the tough times, and we saw our names. We signed our names to guarantee we would bring those things to the table. And when we weren't, that trophy would come out and we would remind ourselves we signed our name and were not being true to that."

"It was very meaningful to us, Spo coming to the first playoff meeting before the Knicks series and there's a box," James said. "We had no idea what was in it and he pulls out a trophy, this black trophy with all our names on it. He basically said that we need to recommit ourselves right now."

With each of the required 16 playoff victories, a victory notch was added, the final one coming as Thursday turned to Friday and championship hope turned to championship euphoria.

"We had to see 16 of those notches before we could even get happy," Wade said. "In the locker room, we put that last notch on there, everybody started screaming, and yelling."



The black trophy, and what it meant for the Heat.

“The black trophy,” Spoelstra said.

It was the Larry O’Brien Trophy, made to scale, if a bit lighter. And it was a secret. From the trainers. From management. From Riley. From the media. From anyone outside the locker room.

It was introduced just prior to the playoffs.

“It was a covenant that we made to each other,” Spoelstra said. “The coaching staff and the players. That we would commit to a handful of things each, and we would say them in front of each other. And if we didn’t do those things, we would not have a real opportunity to win and play for the title."

Chris Bosh said Spoelstra explained “the promise we need to make to each other, to have 16 gold marks on that trophy. It was pretty much a pact to stay together no matter what happens.”

Bosh called it “kind of heavy when you write your name on something, and it’s officially a contract. We were pretty much giving our words to say we would stay together when times get tough.”

Bosh took it seriously enough “that I didn’t put my autograph on it, I put my signature.”

After the championship was won, and the real trophy had been hoisted, Spoelstra still gave attention to the replica.

“To make that 16th mark, it was an unbelievable moment,” LeBron James said.
Click to expand...
Yep, I love it.
 
E

effzee

Member
Sanjuro Tsubaki said:
PPfLN.jpg


Antoine brought south beach a ring before LeBron.

Never Forget.
Click to expand...

Those Heat jerseys were so much better. In fact IMO the NBA jerseys were much superior around 98-2004.
 
C

commish

Jason Kidd murdered my dog in cold blood!
Bosh called it “kind of heavy when you write your name on something, and it’s officially a contract. We were pretty much giving our words to say we would stay together when times get tough.”

Bosh took it seriously enough “that I didn’t put my autograph on it, I put my signature.”
Click to expand...

I may never not hate Bosh.
 
P

PBY

Banned
Damn... Micky arison just said the heat have lost 100s of millions of dollars since their inception, and the Lebron year was the first year they turned a profit... What an owner...
 
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