Editing Miami Heat (section)

==Rivalries==

===New York Knicks===
{{main|Heat–Knicks rivalry}}
The rivalry between the [[New York Knicks]] and the expansion Miami Heat was a result of their four consecutive playoff series from 1997 to 2000. Each series went seven games. The rivalry's central figure was [[Pat Riley]], the head coach of both teams (the early 1990s for the Knicks and the late 1990s for the Heat). [[Jeff Van Gundy]] took over Riley's stint as head coach of the Knicks, while his elder brother [[Stan Van Gundy]] was simultaneously an assistant coach for the Heat. [[Patrick Ewing]] and Alonzo Mourning had been friends from their Georgetown college basketball period. Larry Johnson, one of the Knicks, held bad blood with Mourning as far back as their days in the [[Charlotte Hornets]].

===Chicago Bulls===

The rivalry with the [[Chicago Bulls]] began once the Miami Heat became contenders during the 1990s, a decade dominated by the Bulls and [[Michael Jordan]]. During that period, the Heat were eliminated three times by the Bulls, who would go on to win the NBA championship each time. After Jordan retired and the Heat's fall in the early 2000s, the rivalry cooled but slightly picked up when the Heat faced them in the first round of the 2006 NBA playoffs, which ended in a 4–2 Heat series victory and went on to win the NBA Finals. The Bulls would sweep the defending champion Heat in the first round the next season.

The rivalry has intensified with the resurgence of the Bulls, and the emergence of [[Derrick Rose]] and the Heat re-signing [[Dwyane Wade]] (who turned down a chance of joining his hometown Bulls) with newly acquired superstars in [[Chris Bosh]] and [[LeBron James]] (who spurned a chance of teaming up with Rose in Chicago). The revived rivalry has been very physical, involving rough plays and hard fouls between players. Both teams met in the [[NBA Conference finals|2011 Eastern Conference finals]], with the Heat winning in five games.

The Bulls ended the Heat's record-setting 27 game win streak on March 27, 2013, with a 101–97 victory at the [[United Center]] in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400278782 |title=Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls – Recap |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=March 28, 2013 |access-date=May 14, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518095947/http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400278782 |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite playing without [[Derrick Rose]], [[Joakim Noah]], [[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard "Rip" Hamilton]], and [[Marco Belinelli]], the Bulls managed to end the second longest win streak in basketball history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/free/20130325miami-heat-win-th-straight-run-away-from-orlando-magic.html |title=Miami Heat win 27th straight, run away from Orlando Magic |publisher=Azcentral.com |date=March 25, 2013 |access-date=May 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929192533/http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/free/20130325miami-heat-win-th-straight-run-away-from-orlando-magic.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The rivalry would continue into the [[2013 NBA playoffs]] when the Heat would play the Bulls in the second round. The Bulls ended another Miami Heat winning streak by beating the Heat 93–87 in Game 1. The Heat came back in Game 2 and set a record for the largest margin of victory in franchise playoff history with a 115–78 win. The Bulls also set a record for the worst playoff defeat in franchise history. The 51 personal fouls were the most in a playoff game since 1995. In Game 3, [[Nazr Mohammed]] was ejected for shoving [[LeBron James]] early in the second quarter. Norris Cole had his jersey ripped by [[Taj Gibson]] while driving to the basket for a layup. [[Joakim Noah]] was seen applauding and cheering on the image of [[Chris Bosh]] arguing with [[Mario Chalmers]]. Noah received a technical foul for shoving [[Chris Andersen]] after he fell on [[Nate Robinson]]. Chalmers received a flagrant foul for ringing his arm around Noah's neck. [[Taj Gibson]] and Noah were both ejected in the same game for yelling at the referees.

The two teams met in the 2023 Play-In Tournament to determine the 8th seed for the East. The Heat won to earn the Eastern Conference's 8th seed. They both met again in 2024, with the Heat once again defeating the Bulls, earning the 8th seed.

===Orlando Magic===
{{main|Heat–Magic rivalry}}
The [[Orlando Magic]] and the Miami Heat had a rivalry because both teams are located in Florida, thus the rivalry was known as the Sunshine State rivalry. Another ingredient to the rivalry was the high-caliber players on both teams such as Orlando's [[Shaquille O'Neal]] and [[Penny Hardaway]] to Miami's [[Alonzo Mourning]] and [[Tim Hardaway]]. The two had met each other in the NBA playoffs for the first time in [[1997 NBA playoffs|1997]], with Miami beating Orlando 3–2, they have not met in the playoffs since.

The rivalry intensified during the 2000s and early 2010s with the rising stardom of Miami's and Orlando's [[Dwyane Wade]] and [[Dwight Howard]], along with Miami's acquiring high-caliber stars such [[LeBron James]] from the [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] and [[Chris Bosh]] from the [[Toronto Raptors]] and in 2010, resulting in fierce competition between the two.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=James |title=Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat: Is This the Best Rivalry in the NBA? |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/504931-orlando-magic-vs-miami-heat-is-this-the-best-rivalry-in-the-nba |access-date=December 31, 2023 |website=Bleacher Report |date=October 29, 2010 |archive-date=December 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231170357/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/504931-orlando-magic-vs-miami-heat-is-this-the-best-rivalry-in-the-nba |url-status=live }}</ref>

When Dwight Howard departed from the Magic to the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in August 2012, the rivalry softened. The Orlando Magic are undergoing a process of rebuilding, however, competition still remains tense.

===Boston Celtics===
{{main|Celtics–Heat rivalry}}
The two teams first squared off in the playoffs in [[2010 NBA playoffs|2010]], with the Celtics defeating the Heat four games to one en route to an eventual [[2010 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] appearance by the Celtics. Having suffered first-round losses in three straight years, it was the loss to the Celtics that prompted [[Dwyane Wade]] to declare that the loss would be "my last" in the first round for the near future.

[[LeBron James]]' own enmity with the Boston Celtics can be found as far back as his first stint with the [[Cleveland Cavaliers]], where the Celtics upset the Cavaliers in 2008 and 2010. Among the two Heat stars, Wade went as far as to say that he personally hates the Celtics, with James' own disdain for Boston manifesting in how he referred to the Celtics exclusively as "that team" in 2011. With the acquisition of both James and [[Chris Bosh]] in 2010, the Heat challenged the Celtics for dominance in the Eastern Conference; James claimed that the formation of the Heat's Big 3 was to mirror the formation of the Celtics' Big 3 in [[Paul Pierce]], [[Ray Allen]] and [[Kevin Garnett]]. After dropping the first three games versus the Celtics in the regular season, Miami prevailed in their fourth encounter, taking the second seed from the Celtics and gaining home-court advantage for their eventual match-up of the postseason. The teams met in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the [[2011 NBA playoffs]], where [[Paul Pierce]] was ejected in Game 1, [[Dwyane Wade]] inadvertently broke [[Rajon Rondo]]'s arm in Game 3 and James scored the final 10 points in the deciding Game 5. James could be found roaring to the fans as the Celtics' end came, even kneeling to the ground in relief after finally defeating the Celtics. The rivalry would continue in the following season, where the Heat again took home-court advantage over the Celtics, though Boston again won the season series over the Heat. Despite the loss of Bosh to injury in the semifinals, the Heat took a 2–0 lead before the Celtics won the next three games; the first five games included two overtimes, Rondo's 44-point performance in Game 2, as well as Pierce and James fouling out in Game 4. James' 45-point performance in Game 6 at Boston forced a deciding seventh game, where the two teams traded blows deep into the third and fourth quarters, before Miami pulled away with a 4–3 victory en route to the [[2012 NBA Finals]].

In the off-season, the Celtics' Big 3 was broken up following [[Ray Allen]]'s joining of the Heat. When asked about their immediate reactions to their teammate leaving for their rival, [[Kevin Garnett]] claimed that he deleted Allen's phone number, while [[Paul Pierce]] admitted that it "hurt", though he still considers Allen "a brother to me" for their 2008 championship run. Although the two teams would not meet in the playoffs, the animosity continued in their four regular season games. The season opener – a Heat victory – included Rondo clotheslining Wade's neck, Garnett snubbing a handshake from Allen pre-game, and Garnett throwing an elbow at [[Mario Chalmers]]. During Miami's 2013 streak, [[Paul Pierce]] went on record to say that he wished for Miami to lose all of its remaining games by that point. When James voiced his displeasure over the Chicago Bulls' physicality against him, Boston's general manager [[Danny Ainge]] called it "embarrassing" for LeBron to complain about it. [[Pat Riley]], the Heat team president, retorted that "Danny should shut the fuck up." The teams met during the streak, where it was five years to the day that the Celtics' stopped the [[Houston Rockets]]' own 20+-game winning streak. It ended in a Heat victory, one that featured James dunking on [[Jason Terry]]; he received a technical foul for staring down at Terry post-dunk. When asked about it after the game by reporters, James stated that he was "glad it happened to him."

From 2020 to 2023, the Heat and the Celtics faced each other in the Eastern Conference finals for three out of four of the years. The Heat won the first and third meetings, with the Celtics winning the second.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greer |first1=Jordan |title=Celtics vs. Heat rivalry: Boston, Miami add to NBA Playoff history with Eastern Conference finals matchup |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/celtics-heat-rivalry-nba-playoff-history-boston-miami/nu0i0dyzng3ragccg4he1ukg |website=Sporting News |access-date=May 31, 2023 |date=May 17, 2023 |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531130043/https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/celtics-heat-rivalry-nba-playoff-history-boston-miami/nu0i0dyzng3ragccg4he1ukg |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Friedell|first=Nick|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37757464/heat-stomp-celtics-game-7-carry-dream-run-nba-finals|title=Heat stomp Celtics in G7, become second No. 8 seed to make Finals|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=May 27, 2023|access-date=May 31, 2023|archive-date=May 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530220947/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37757464/heat-stomp-celtics-game-7-carry-dream-run-nba-finals|url-status=live}}</ref> The Heat and the Celtics would lose all the finals that played in from those years. In 2024, the Heat and Celtics faced off in the first round, but the Heat were playing without [[Jimmy Butler]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-27 |title=Jimmy Butler says he's 'working,' but there's no timetable for his return to the Heat |url=https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-2024-heat-jimmy-butler-d81ff04f61affb327ecc776aa4fe572b |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> and the Celtics won the championship that year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-17 |title=Boston Celtics defeat Dallas Mavericks to win 2024 NBA Finals - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boston-celtics-beat-dallas-mavericks-2024-nba-finals/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Indiana Pacers===
{{Main|Heat–Pacers rivalry}}

A recent rivalry was triggered with the [[Indiana Pacers]] in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the [[2012 NBA playoffs]]. Although the two previously met in the [[2004 NBA playoffs]] (when Indiana won 4–2), as of 2014, the only player still left from either team is [[Udonis Haslem]] of the Heat. Both head coaches were fined for statements made relating to the officiating: [[Frank Vogel]] accused the Heat of flopping before the series started, while [[Erik Spoelstra]] took offense to what he perceived to be deliberate head-hunting of his players on the part of the Pacers. Indiana took a 2–1 lead after Miami's [[Chris Bosh]] was sidelined with an abdominal strain. Powered by [[LeBron James]] and [[Dwyane Wade]], Miami won three straight games to take the series, 4–2. The series was marked by several suspensions, flagrant fouls, and confrontations between the players: [[Tyler Hansbrough]]'s flagrant foul on Dwyane Wade (which drew blood), Udonis Haslem's retaliatory flagrant foul on Hansborough (which led to Haslem's Game 6 suspension), Wade colliding with [[Darren Collison]] in transition, [[Juwan Howard]] confronting [[Lance Stephenson]] over the latter's flashing of the choke sign to James, and [[Dexter Pittman]] elbowing Stephenson in the neck (which led to his own three-game suspension). Indiana's [[Danny Granger]] received technical fouls in three consecutive games for his confrontations with Heat players; he stripped James of his headband in Game 2 while attempting to block a shot, pulled the back of James' jersey in Game 3 while trying to stop a fast-break, and chest-bumped Wade in Game 4 after the latter was fouled by [[Roy Hibbert]].

The following season saw improvements for both teams, from Miami's acquisition of [[Ray Allen]] and [[Chris Andersen]], to the emergence of [[Paul George]] and [[Lance Stephenson]]. Notably, it was after the Heat lost to the Pacers that they compiled a 27-game winning streak; the last time the Heat lost two in a row in the year were the games against Indiana and Portland. During the waning minutes of Game 6 in the semifinals between the Pacers and the [[New York Knicks]], the Pacers' fans were chanting "Beat the Heat" as their team beat their old New York rivals. True to form, the Heat and the Pacers met in the conference finals of the [[2013 NBA playoffs]] on May 22, 2013. Several instances of physicality became prominent in the series: [[Shane Battier]] received an offensive foul for throwing his knee at Hibbert's midsection; Hibbert claimed that it was an intentional dirty play on the part of Battier. Andersen suffered a bloodied nose after colliding with [[David West (basketball)|David West]]. [[Ian Mahinmi]] received a retroactive flagrant foul for a grab of James' arm. Norris Cole latched a hand on West's groin area as he tried to slip through West. Wade received a retroactive flagrant foul for hitting Stephenson in the head, another incident that the Pacers, notably Paul George, felt was a dirty play. The Heat survived Game 1 on a James game-winning layup, while the Pacers came back to tie the series at 1–1 after forcing James into two late fourth-quarter turnovers for Game 2. In Game 3, the Heat set a team record for points in a postseason half with 70. It was the first time the Pacers had given up 70 points since 1992. Allen's single turnover was the least ever suffered by the Heat in a first half. Their five total turnovers is tied for the fewest in franchise history. The Game 3 victory marked the first time that an NBA team had won five straight road games by double digits. The Heat won the series 4–3, with a 99–76 win in Game 7.<ref>{{cite news|last=Reynolds|first=Tim|title=Heat off to Finals, beat Pacers 99–76 in Game 7|url=http://www.nba.com/games/20130603/INDMIA/gameinfo.html?ls=pot|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=NBA.com|date=June 3, 2013|access-date=November 5, 2018|archive-date=April 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404000010/http://www.nba.com/games/20130603/INDMIA/gameinfo.html?ls=pot|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[2014 NBA playoffs]], after beating the [[Brooklyn Nets]] in five games, and the Pacers beating the [[Washington Wizards]] in six games, the Heat and the first-seeded Pacers would meet up in the Eastern Conference finals in a much-anticipated rematch. The Heat would go on to eliminate the Pacers 4–2, advancing to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals in the Big Three-era. The Heat stumbled during Game 1 in Indianapolis, falling 107–96. They would win the next three games, but during Game 5, which Miami lost 93–90, James struggled, suffering heavy foul trouble and scoring only seven points, his lowest playoff record. During Game 6 in Miami, the Heat would defeat the Pacers 117–92.

===Dallas Mavericks===
The Heat–Mavericks rivalry began in the [[2006 NBA Finals]], where the two teams met and both entering their first NBA Finals appearance. A year prior, the Heat had acquired [[Shaquille O'Neal]]. The Mavericks were led by [[Dirk Nowitzki]], and the Heat were led by [[Dwyane Wade]]. Dallas had home-court advantage in the series due to a better regular season record (60–22) than Miami's (52–30) and took the first two games in the series, entering Game 3 with a commanding 2–0 lead. They looked set to win Game 3 until a rally by the Heat, including many free throws from Wade, resulted in the Mavericks losing the third game. The Heat won all of its home games, as the Mavericks dropped games 3, 4 and 5. In a highly controversial Game 5, a 101–100 victory for the Heat, Wade shot more free throws than the entire Mavericks team. Mavericks owner [[Mark Cuban]], as well as Nowitzki, were both fined for acts of misconduct. During Game 6, the series returned to Dallas, where the Mavericks fell 95–92. [[Jason Terry]] airballed a three-point attempt that could have tied the game. Wade picked up the ball, throwing it in the air in celebration as the Heat won the NBA Championship, and its first one as well. Wade was named the Finals MVP.

In the 2010 off-season, Miami acquired [[LeBron James]] from the [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] and [[Chris Bosh]] from the [[Toronto Raptors]] to team up with Wade and form their own "big three" (to rival the [[Boston Celtics|Celtics]]' big three) that was expected to win the championship. The Heat finished 58–24, acquiring the southeast division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. During the regular season, the Mavericks swept the Heat 2–0. The Heat cruised through the Playoffs without much competition, eliminating every team – the [[Philadelphia 76ers]], defending Eastern Conference champions [[Boston Celtics]] and the top-seeded [[Chicago Bulls]] all five games. Meanwhile, the Mavericks had tallied 57–25 for the third seed, leaving them to face the [[Portland Trail Blazers]] in the first round. The Mavericks had been defeated in the first round all but one time since the 2006 Finals, including a defeat from the seventh-seeded [[San Antonio Spurs]] just the previous season. Because of this, the Mavericks were underdogs throughout the playoffs, but they were able to dispatch Portland in six games. They faced the defending NBA champions [[Los Angeles Lakers]] and pulled off the impossible by sweeping them, ending their bid for a three-peat. In the conference finals, they defeated the [[Oklahoma City Thunder]], resulting a rematch between the two teams. After taking a 2–1 lead however, the Heat stumbled in the next three games. They were eliminated on their own home floor after losing 105–95 during Game 6 in Miami – extending LeBron's quest for a ring. The loss had also brought further public humiliation for [[LeBron James]], who had been scrutinized and negatively criticized for leaving the Cavaliers to join the Heat. LeBron was criticized for only averaging 17.8 points. Cavaliers fans rejoiced in the Heat's loss due to the anger that was caused by LeBron's decision to join the Heat, which they felt was unfair and a betrayal.

After that, the Mavericks would never win another game against the Heat. Dallas hosted the Heat for the season opener on December 25, 2011, of the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season that was shortened to 66 games. The Heat spoiled the Mavericks' championship banner-raising night, giving them a 105–94 loss.

Although the Heat and the Mavericks have not met in the postseason ever since, the rivalry continued as [[Mark Cuban]] publicly discussed his extreme personal dislike for the Heat. He described "hate" was not being strong enough of a word to describe his dislike for the Heat.<ref>{{cite web |author=Dan Favale |url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1921640-mark-cuban-hate-not-strong-enough-word-to-describe-dislike-of-miami-heat |title=Mark Cuban: Hate Not 'Strong Enough' Word to Describe Dislike of Miami Heat |website=Bleacher Report |date=January 13, 2014 |access-date=May 14, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518222523/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1921640-mark-cuban-hate-not-strong-enough-word-to-describe-dislike-of-miami-heat |url-status=live }}</ref> He also had a personal dislike for Wade.