NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
It took six years.
To get here, it took whiffing on Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant (twice), Kyrie Irving (twice), James Harden, Bradley Beal (twice), Chris Paul, DeMar DeRozan and, yes, even Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Advertisement
Yet, with a midnight blockbuster Monday, June 22 that ships Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, team president Pat Riley proved, once again, that he can deliver a hoops wonder to Bayside. And with that, he appeased a fan base that had started to grumble and wonder if it was time for him to step down. Now, the hard work begins.
Make no mistake: this move triggers immense pressure. With Antetokounmpo in the fold, the expectation becomes that Miami is to compete for championships.
There’s precedent for that, too.
Since Riley took over the franchise, each acquisition of a legitimate superstar in their prime – from Shaquille O’Neal in 2004, to LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010, to Jimmy Butler in 2019 – has produced trips to the NBA Finals, at a minimum.
Advertisement
Those moves delivered the franchise’s three championships, and Butler was the lone addition unable to win a title.
So, does this make the Heat the favorites to win the Eastern Conference next season?
No, at least not yet.
1 / 33
NBA champions through the years
2026: New York Knicks (beat San Antonio Spurs in five games)
(Dustin Safranek, Imagn Images)
1 / 33
NBA champions through the years
2026: New York Knicks (beat San Antonio Spurs in five games)
(Dustin Safranek, Imagn Images)
2 / 33
NBA champions through the years
2025: Oklahoma City Thunder (beat Indiana Pacers in seven games)
(Kyle Terada, Imagn Images)
3 / 33
NBA champions through the years
2024: Boston Celtics (beat Dallas Mavericks in five games)
(Peter Casey, USA TODAY Sports)
4 / 33
NBA champions through the years
2023: Denver Nuggets (beat Miami Heat in five games)
(Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports)
5 / 33
NBA champions through the years
2022: Golden State Warriors (beat Boston Celtics in six games)
(Adam Glanzman, Getty Images)
6 / 33
NBA champions through the years
2021: Milwaukee Bucks (beat Phoenix Suns in six games)
(Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)
7 / 33
NBA champions…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/heat-traded-giannis-team-beat-113104430.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-06-23 11:31:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
