Heat Index

[TheSportsPredictor]

ESPN.com to unveil a section of its website devoted exclusively to Miami Heat coverage. They brought aboard former Plain Dealer Cavs beat writer Brian Windhorst, former Miami Herald Heat beat writer Michael Wallace, Jemele Hill, Kevin Arnovitz, and Sebastian Martinez-Christensen.

http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2010/10/espn-com-to-launch-%e2%80%9cthe-heat-index%e2%80%9d-oct-11/

 

[Mizzougrad96]

That's the number that was rumored since the day those three guys "took their talent to South Beach"

 

[Mizzougrad96]

It sounds like Jemele's job is to go party in South Beach and see if she runs into LeBron, Dwyane or Bosh.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. :)

 

[writingump]

By Christmas time, I'm guessing this will make their fawning over the Yankees look tame.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

By Christmas time, I'm guessing this will make their fawning over the Yankees look tame.

That's the understatement of the century. We will all be sick of seeing this team referred to as, "The greatest talent ever assembled."

Between "The Decision" and LeBron saying the negative reaction was racist, I'm rooting for an ACL tear. :D

 

[LongTimeListener]

You're a racist ******* if you think this is excessive. [/lebronandmaverick]

 

[Michael_ Gee]

The opening night of the season may be the first time in my increasingly long life I have ever rooted for the Boston Celtics to win a game. You know, if I was Pat Riley, I'd be moving heaven and earth to keep ESPN out of my team's life. These guys' egos really don't need anymore stroking.
It'll be funny to see the panic during their first three-game losing streak, though.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

The opening night of the season may be the first time in my increasingly long life I have ever rooted for the Boston Celtics to win a game. You know, if I was Pat Riley, I'd be moving heaven and earth to keep ESPN out of my team's life. These guys' egos really don't need anymore stroking.
It'll be funny to see the panic during their first three-game losing streak, though.

I may hate the Lakers more than any professional team and I will be rooting for them against this squad.

I feel about this team the same way I did about the Lakers team that had Malone and Payton trying to scrounge for a ring. I just rooted for failure and injuries.

I agree about keeping ESPN and national media away from them. Good luck with that though.

 

[spnited]

By Christmas time, I'm guessing this will make their fawning over the Yankees look tame.

ESPN alreayd is fawning over the Heat much more than it ever has over the Yankees.
For about four nights last week they had 10-15 minute segments on SportsCenter from Heat camp. Talk about overkill.
I don't hate Lebron, Wade or Bosh. I do hate Riley but the real object of our hatred should be ESPN.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I like Wade. I have no opinion of Bosh and I can't stand LeBron.

I agree that most of our hatred should be geared toward ESPN.

 

[93Devil]

ESPN is like the American car industry in the early 1980s, they will just throw any crap out there and expect you to buy it because they are ESPN. But then again, I think they are shooting for teenagers with this crap and not adults.

ESPN now has a crap product 75-80 percent of the time on its flagship station. I'm guessing that is a ****ty business model.

Some network will figure out how to do it right again.

 

[JakeandElwood]

I'm always amused at the press conferences with the three of them. Bosh just kind of sits there, no one asks him a question and eventually he just kind of takes one on his own.

 

[BTExpress]

Gee, no rapists on the team . . . no wife beaters . . . no animal killers . . . no Ray Lewises or Leonard Littles . . . no coaches like Belicheat or cheaters like A-Rod.

So it's pretty much "We hate you because ESPN loves you."

Whatever.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

BTE, nobody likes having something crammed down their throat. The Heat are a big story, no doubt about it. But they're hardly the only NBA big story. And James, anyway, gives every indication he LOOOVES being the center of artificial attention, which also rubs folks the wrong way.
If the Heat win the championship, more power to all concerned. But a history of so-called NBA super teams built on multiple superstars('69 Lakers, late '70s 76ers, Kobe and Shaq Lakers before Jackson got there) indicates that they have a tough road to ***.
And that's where the flip side of ESPN love will kick in. Today's fluffers will be February's ****-disturbers, looking for trouble and unhappiness in every nook and corner of the franchise. They'll find it, too.

 

[spnited]

True, Gee, but by February St. Patrick Riley will have stabbed his little lap dog Eric Spoelstra in the back and fired him because of two or three straight losses. Then the almighty one can poach another championship, as he did with Stan Van Gundy, and further cement his "legacy" as one of the NBA's "great" coaches.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Unless you're a Miami Heat fan, I don't know how anyone can walk away from this summer's Decision Debacle without a complete disgust for all things LeBron.

If they start winning like some of Jordan's Bulls teams did, then they'll win back their share of fans.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

True, Gee, but by February St. Patrick Riley will have stabbed his little lap dog Eric Spoelstra in the back and fired him because of two or three straight losses. Then the almighty one can poach another championship, as he did with Stan Van Gundy, and further cement his "legacy" as one of the NBA's "great" coaches.

Yeah, I'm sensing Spoelstra is going to have a "family matter" that he needs to attend to by December or so.

 

[mustangj17]

The opening night of the season may be the first time in my increasingly long life I have ever rooted for the Boston Celtics to win a game. You know, if I was Pat Riley, I'd be moving heaven and earth to keep ESPN out of my team's life. These guys' egos really don't need anymore stroking.
It'll be funny to see the panic during their first three-game losing streak, though.

This trio has excited me for the NBA. I now have a team to root for every game - and that's whoever plays the Heat. I can't wait to watch these guys get booed in every arena. I can't wait for James to try his tired act in Cleveland, Chicago, and New York. I can't wait until they beat by another solid team like the Lakers or Spurs. It's gonna be great.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

The opening night of the season may be the first time in my increasingly long life I have ever rooted for the Boston Celtics to win a game. You know, if I was Pat Riley, I'd be moving heaven and earth to keep ESPN out of my team's life. These guys' egos really don't need anymore stroking.
It'll be funny to see the panic during their first three-game losing streak, though.

This trio has excited me for the NBA. I now have a team to root for every game - and that's whoever plays the Heat. I can't wait to watch these guys get booed in every arena. I can't wait for James to try his tired act in Cleveland, Chicago, and New York. I can't wait until they beat by another solid team like the Lakers or Spurs. It's gonna be great.

Agree completely. I'll definitely be watching a hell of a lot more than I did last season.

 

[BTExpress]

BTE, nobody likes having something crammed down their throat.

The Heat isn't cramming anything down anyone's throat. ESPN is. And ESPN's only doing that to people who can't unhook the umbilical cord that attaches themselves to the network.

"But I want to watch a college football game without having Heat promos crammed down my throat!!!"

Fine, we'll give you the 23,657,928th Geico commercial crammed down your throat instead of the Heat promo.

Unless you're a Miami Heat fan, I don't know how anyone can walk away from this summer's Decision Debacle without a complete disgust for all things LeBron.

If there is no "Decision Debacle" . . . and James just quietly issues a statement saying he's going to Miami . . . is the disgust still as complete?

Or are you just using the decision as a silly excuse for irrational teeth gnashing?

So instead of the former, there was a "Decision Debacle" . . . with James going to Miami and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America getting $2 million. Is that really so awful in the grand scheme of things?

Frankly, this overreaction just smacks of the Favre crap. With people irrationally double-orgasming every time he throws an interception.

I'm familiar with the emotion. I grew up rooting against teams. Celtics. Cowboys. Alabama football. And you know what? Rooting against teams that win almost every week is just an invitation to be pissed off all the time. Grew out of it many years ago. The Heat will lose games. West-Baylor-Chamberlain lost plenty. Kareem-Magic-Worthy lost plenty.

The Heat's just a curiosity, a team with two great players and one good one. Nothing really new, except the way it was put together. But anyone with a lick of sense knew this was possible (if not downright probable) 2 years ago. So why all the ""sudden" angst? How DARE LeBron leave Cleveland. How DARE all three decide to play together. How DARE all three tell their fans they want to win multiple titles. How DARE ESPN want to take advantage of the curiosity.