A Heat Fan's Birthday Wish

Dear Miami Heat,

Since my birth in 1994, I have been a fan of your franchise. As a kid, Dwayne Wade was my hero, and that was before I even cared about basketball. When we won the title in 2006, I celebrated with my Miami-native dad for weeks. But here’s the thing: my mom is a Spurs fan. And as much I love the Heat, I also grew up watching Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli dominate the league. But they were always just a side fling, entertainment when my Heat weren’t playing. Two years ago, when LeBron shook the NBA multi-verse and chose to join our squad, I saw the hate coming. Everyone without a Florida driver’s license was accused of having jumped on the bandwagon and I, being born and raised in San Diego, was no exception. I endured the questions, the accusations, when all the while I barely knew who LeBron was. But I stuck it out. And when we lost, while fake fans jumped ship, I cursed the entire city of Dallas and every person in it.

Meanwhile, San Antonio was a dynasty of years past, regular season champions who could no longer find their way to the promised land. And while we all fixed our eyes on Miami, they quietly adjusted to the new game, drafting guys like Kawhi Leonard (SDSU STAND UP!) and Gary Neal. Armed with these young playmakers, the Spurs began to regain the ground they had seemed to lose. A year later, Lebron and Wade, and of course Mike Miller, brought the Heat a second title. We rejoiced. It was all worth it! There was no stopping us now! And for awhile we floated on euphoria and LeBron highlights.

Now we find ourselves at the gate once more, and who should stand between another title but those same Spurs. So here’s the thing: I need to know that I made the right choice. No matter what, D-Wade will always be my favorite player and Ginobli will stay at #2. But should I have up with the Spurs back when I had the chance as a kid? I don’t think so, yet every sports pundit in the milky way would tell me so right now. They say LeBron is tired. They say Wade is checked out. They say Bosh is just taking up cap space.  But I still see that team that dominated the upstart Thunder last summer, so what’s it gonna be? Have the Spurs really figured it out again? Or do we just need to get it together?

So here’s all I want for my birthday, Heat. I want a win. A win that pacifies every concern that I might have about this squad. Because I know you’re capable of it, and I know we won’t win this series without it. This is a gift I’m confident you can afford.

Your Fan Now and Forever,

Gyasi Redding