Bringing the Heat

Today, in 1987, the National Basketball Association announced the addition of four franchises to the league. One of those franchises, the Miami Heat, have been one of the more successful teams since that time. The other franchises that were announced that day were Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic. Since the Miami Heat started play in 1988, they have made 16 playoff appearances, good enough for tenth best since that time in a 30-team NBA. Out of those 16 appearances, they have made it to the conference finals, the semi-final round of the NBA playoffs, five times. In the 23 seasons that have come and gone since the first NBA game tipped off in Southern Florida, just 8 different teams have won the title. The Heat are ranked fifth among those teams, claiming two titles. Those two titles were captured over the span of just seven years. To say the Miami Heat are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history would be jumping the gun. However, since coming into the league in 1988, a year after it was announced they would join the league, the Miami Heat have become an established force in the NBA. Sources- Photo: https://www.facebook.com/nba http://www.todayinsport.com/day/november/4 http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/miami/heat.html http://www.nba.com/history/finals/champions.html http://nbahoopsonline.com/History/Leagues/NBA/playoffs/teams.html