Why don’t the media give the Heat their flowers?

Honestly, I’ve got no idea.

Miami is one of the top teams in the league, full of All-Stars both past and present, young talent, and NBA Champions, yet never seems to get the media coverage or attention it deserves. Excluding the Lakers, Nets, Bucks, and Warriors (for obvious reasons), many of the other top-third teams in the league - and some non-top-third teams - get an awful lot more attention from national media than Miami.

Going under the radar isn’t a bad thing for the team itself. The Heat have always liked being the underdog and have excelled in that role over their 34 year history. It means the staff and players can go about their work without the bright lights of the media watching every jab step and jump shot with eagle eyes. It does however contribute to a lack of knowledge around the league for what the Heat do and how they do it, leading to many seeing the Finals run of the 2019-20 season as a fluke. Those associated with the Heat were certain it was anything but that.

The problem however, comes when we begin to discuss personal accolades. While I’m sure no player on the current Miami Heat roster would admit they’re more interested in personal acclaim over team success, it’s obviously important. Bam Adebayo has spent the last two and a half years playing at Defensive Player of the Year standard, yet has been continually overlooked when it comes to final voting; never even making the All-Defensive First Team in either of the last two seasons. Bam’s growth and development in that 2019-20 season had many pegging him as the favourite to win Most Improved Player, yet, once again, the award went elsewhere. He was also overlooked for a spot at the 2021 All-Star Game after making his maiden appearance a year earlier. So too was Jimmy Butler. Admittedly, the 2020-21 season for the Heat was an anti-climax after the trip to the finals thanks to a historically short off-season turnaround, but Bam and Jimmy still played at an All-Star calibre. Fast forward to this season, and the Heat have three players who could be considered candidates for four awards. Jimmy Butler has been putting up MVP production, Bam has yet again been elite on defense, and Tyler Herro looks a lock to win Sixth Man of the Year and must be considered for Most Improved Player too. It goes without saying then, that all three deserve to be named to the All-Star rosters, but I’d personally be surprised if we saw any more than one of the three at All-Star Weekend in February. As well as the playing staff, the coaching staff is surely due some form of recognition. Erik Spoelstra has repeatedly proved himself to be among the elite basketball coaches in the world and his abilities have been showcased more than ever this season in his development and management of the Heat’s undrafted players in the absence of their stars. He deserves to at least be in the conversation for Coach of the Year, but as seems to be the trend, no one outside of South Florida is talking about it.

Maybe the reason the Heat don’t get their dues in the media is down to the type of people they recruit. They don’t have any headline-makers, such as a Kyrie Irving or a Joel Embiid. They don’t have a basketball icon similar to LeBron James or Kevin Durant. And they don’t have international superstars with global appeal such as Giannis Antetokounmpo or Luka Doncic. Despite his notoriety earlier in his career, Jimmy Butler’s perception in the media seems to have calmed since joining the Heat (wow, maybe he wasn’t the problem after all?), Kyle Lowry is a reserved and well-respected individual, and Bam Adebayo appears to be best friends with everyone he comes up against. Only Tyler Herro appears to have the level of arrogance and self-belief that would get media outlets salivating. If Boy Wonder is in Miami for the long term, you can expect the media gravity his charisma and style demands, to grow in tandem with his production on the court.

The narrative of the NBA for many years had always been that you needed to play for a ‘big-market team’ if you wanted to be recognised, but thanks to social media and the ease at which NBA games are now available, that sentiment is no longer true. Extraordinary talent will still thrive in smaller markets; Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota, Ja Morant in Memphis, Giannis in Milwaukee, to name a few. In years gone by, agents and representatives of players of that ilk would have been in their client’s ear about trying to land in LA, New York, or maybe even Miami, but as the Greek Freak proved last summer, talent and hard work transcends marketability.

In Miami, there are no such generational type players that can shift an entire franchise from top three lottery picks to bonafide contenders within a few years. Rather a group of under-the-radar, undrafted and overlooked guys, who have had to earn their stripes in the Association and will continue to do so until they achieve the ultimate goal. Miami will continue to put in the work when no one’s watching, so when the lights shine brightest they’ll surprise those who aren’t informed and impress those who aren’t aware. It’s the Pat Riley method of working and it won’t be changing any time soon. Maybe there is more satisfaction in doing it the hard way, and maybe that’s just how the Heat would like it.