MAYBE !!!! try winning a title let alone go undefeated!!!!

Riley's ego .... he is quite the guy.
Knick fans will always remember 1994 , game 7. He designs every play late in the game for John Starks when he shoots 2 for 18.

The second Marlins title was far greater in this areas history than the run that this Heat team made.

So was the Panther run when they reached the final.

There is something to be said when a underdog surprises. It is much greater than when a team who is a favorite ultimately fails in their quest to do what is expected of them.

The Marlins despite two World Series titles are an afterthought in South Florida. The 97 Marlins were broken up the next year. The 03 Marlins never made the playoffs after their win and many of their stars soon found employment with other teams. The Panthers? Please.

This Heat season has been the most fun I've had sports wise... ever. I don't think you need to win the ultimate prize to have a lasting impact in a city's history. Marino certainly left his mark. The best thing to happen to Cleveland in the last how many years had to be the arrival of Lebron, right? Provided this Heat team performs like what is expected of them, Riley will be correct in the end.

Not to mention no other South florida team (even the 72 Dolphins) has generated this much national attention and fascination.

Oh, and to dolphan74: To properly assess this quote you would need to be a fan of all four South Florida teams.

(I don't know if you are, FINesse.)

sorry 84, since when are you the authority on the history of south florida sports and who can comment? thanks...and its even more absurd given Riley doesn't really have much history in SF.....

So 84 to clue you in, the biggest impact in South Florida team history you didn't even mention.....


THE CANES BABY!!!!!

They not only stole the show from the Phins, they changed college football forever!!!!...Please learn your SF sports history before you show how truly little lack of SF sports history you now!!!!

I certainly have more than someone who doesn't like all the South Florida teams and who has lived out of state for 16 years. Your hatred of the Heat means you can't be taken seriously when it comes to questions like this.

As for the Canes, they were neglicted because I was focusing on pro sports only.

read the quote...it says South Florida sports....shame you don't read before you type...and news flash living somewhere doesn't make you a enthusiastic fan....and there never was hatred over the Heat till this year.... I thought the Decision was way over the top...I can't stand Lebron...he has the biggest sense of entitlement then anyone I have met...the Into party was so retarded... I mean win something first..I personally don't think SF can support all those sports teams.....as evidenced by mediocre attendance figures for most teams....Canes and Phins....that's what I grew up with and that's what I root for...cause you root for all 4 doesn't make you more knowledgeable about SF sports history....but then again you didn't actually read the quote did you?

Nobody & I mean nobody can deny the lack of support south florida teams receive. Clearly one of the worst fan bases & sports towns in the country.
Nope , not a Heat fan here , that should be evident by my posts. But have been living here in south florida since about 1981 so that should certainly qualify me for someone in the know??

The Marlins of 97 were bought so that is why I did not include them but at least with every big name signing that year they did not have a whole hip hop intro at the stadium. The run of the 03 team certainly was something much greater than this years Heat team & did captivate this area more , especially with the young guys & replacing a manager during the season. Winning 2 titles in their short time here I also thought they deserved better fan support but in typical south florida fashion , they screw the public to get a new stadium.

The Panther run with the whole Rat thing .... nobody was selling their tickets to opposing teams fans. How freakin pathetic was that Heat fans!

To say what this Heat team did was greater than the 72 Dolphins is just a way to try to make a case by Riley that this has become a Heat town , leaving the Dolphins a distant second.

It is clear the better south florida fans do not live in south florida. I guess I am a Dolphin fan because they were here when I arrived , having these other teams come about while I was already here , sorry but I just cannot switch my allegiance but living here I see what is going on.

The Heat seem to just want to throw it in everyones face , they signed Shaq & had him arrive on a train or something like that with a parade. The whole intro this year just fueled the fire , it was pathetic.
Look , the Heat team should win a couple of titles , when you stack the deck like this it is bound to happen. But in the way it happened & the attitude of these guys dont expect everyone to be on board & be happy. As a Yankee fan I can tell you , when they were winning in the 90's with homegrown talent as a fan it was great. Of course they still got accused of buying their titles but in reality those guys were mostly farm system guys. When they went out a few seasons ago & signed Texeira , Sabathia , Swisher & Burnett that title was not as sweet , they did what was expected. At least they did not parade those guys down Times square at the end of the free agency period.

Riley is just being Riley here , he is doing damage control.

Sounds kinda like Pat the Rat. Bailed on the Knicks to come to the Heat. Since then, he's had great rosters for umpteen seasons and has only one trophy to show for it.

Since when are YOU the person who decides who can comment and who can't?

You're not even a fan of South Florida sports... just a team here or there.

I never understood people who can root for the Dolphins in football and then turn around and root for the sewer rat Knicks or the Lakers in basketball.

It's not where you're from, it's where you're at.

That's one more than the Knicks have since the Heat have been in existance.

rich your a moron.....there was no Heat when I was was growing up in Miami....that's how people can root for teams in different sports in different area's !!!



never said I was... read my posts..but I do know my SF sports history....and the Heat's failed championship run is definitely not the most important moment....maybe to Riley's pocket...but that's about it!!!

Sewer rat??? was that aimed at the Lakers? God I hope my Phins one day establish the success of the Lakers.....

Sidebar: Can you work on sentence and paragraph structure please?




I did read it. My mind automatically went to pro sports. So sue me.



I didn't say that. The comment we are talking about is the "greatest thing in South Florida sports history." This is not a history lesson here. The word "greatest" makes this whole thing purely subjective. By its own nature, you can't really win an argument like this: one person's greatest is different from another's.

However, if you don't even like all of the teams in question, your judgment is clouded. Simple as that. You have to be emotionally attached to all of its teams. So knowledge of SF history is not enough. You can take umbrage to it all you want, but you are never going to be able to say anything the Heat do is "great" because you don't like them. And even if you can begrudgingly admit something, you are not going to like it more than anything your favorite teams do. To a lesser extent, living here during said events is very different than experiencing it from afar. It is a minor difference, but one that needs to be mentioned.




SF has disadvantages that other cities don't have. One is the transplant problem. The other is the fact that these teams are relatively new franchises. For example, our oldest pro team (Phins) is exactly as old as the Chicago Bulls, which is the youngest team in Chicago. Think about it, if you are over the age of 40 (for example) you can't even say you grew up watching these teams. All you had were the Dolphins. Therefore, it is safe to say a sizeable portion of the population's favorite teams were originally ones NOT from South Florida.

Dolphan74 is living proof of this. He hates the Heat and he grew up here. He will forever be a Lakers fan. And he is certainly not the only one.

Give it a few more generations and then we will see.

Thanks for the personal attack. This is why threads get locked.

Besides the blind, vitriolic, completely unobjective venom he spits about them, what gives you that idea?

Just a hunch, Rich.

Not sure if it was aimed at the Lakers or Knicks, but comments from Richhead have no value to me.

so you have to root for all four SF pro sports teams to know SF sports history??? that's really funny..and as I have said there was not hatred for the Heat till this year....a lot of the nation feels the same...it's the arrogance and cockiness of this current Heat team that rubs me the wrong way....FYI ZO was one of my fav players...think he played for the Heat as well...you didn't properly read the quote so sue you??? SF sports history goes till the 60's and before all these johnny come lately teams it was the Phins then the Canes....then the Canes blew it up big time....so not to mention them when talking about SF history shows where you are...again.. the Heat have the talent to win it all a couple times in the next 5 years or so...will I be rooting against them..YEP !!!! Will them winning a couple titles have as big an impact of sports as the Canes did on CFB?? Hell no... not e3ven close, and to pose that as Riley did is crazy...like I said win something first!!!!!

Forum rules apply to all "forums" guys. Lets stop the personal attacks please....

Bans are forth coming if the name calling continues, FYI. Consider this your warnings.

Thanks: MODS

Once again, you are not reading. Knowing the history DOES NOT MATTER. You have to be emotionally attached to all the South Florida teams in order to properly gauge which events classify as the "GREATEST" thing to happen.

I don't know why this is so hard to understand.

There was no StubHub back then. The secondary ticket market has become prevalent in recent years, making it easily to get a ticket to any event you want.



One thing every Yankees fan forgets when they go the "homegrown" route is that they are able to keep their homegrown players. Everyone else eventually loses them because they will invariably get outbid by teams like, say, the Yankees.

What?
I root for Miami in football, the Lakers in basketball and Mariners in baseball...but the only teams I am a diehard of are the Dolphins and Hawkeyes.

So by your logic, I live in Alabama and can't root for any pro sports team. Yeah, that's brilliant.

Wouldnt it make more sense to clarify my logic before ridiculing it?

My logic doesnt apply to your scenario because you live in an area with no pro teams. You do root vehemently for the college team, though.



Just like jumping to conclusions. The beautiful thing about opinions is I can have mine, you dont have to respect it, and i dont have to care.

So you're not a Dolphins/Knicks fan living in South Florida? Then you make sense... Lol...

I have to respectively disagree. Growing up in NYC I was & still am a huge Knicks , Rangers , Giants & Yankee fan. The teams I first became accustomed to hold a special place. Growing up becoming a huge sports fan & going thru thick & thin with these teams was & still is a part of who I am. Hanging out in school yards listening to games on the AM radio in a time when the players actually stuck with the same team , it was special. Approaching 50 in a couple of years it was also nostalgic.
Now having lived here since 1981 & with the Dolphins being the only game in town I became a fan. Never giving up being a Giant fan but lets face it when you are the only team in a one team town you get that team force fed to you. Plus the fact that they were an AFC team & I always thought of Shula as all class becoming a Dolphin fan was easy.
Marlins, Heat & Panthers ... sorry they came along way after the fact & I just cannot root for them as those teams also have established fierce rivalries with my NY teams.
As a Heat fan you shouldnt worry much. This team in this tenure should win at least 2 rings. But in the manner in which they did to get there you have to accept this team will be hated. Face it they are the evil empire of basketball.

You're a Knicks fan. That explains it.

Walt Frazier .... cool with class.

Lol glad we got that cleared up.

I'd say that title belongs to either Boston or LA.

Maybe before this past season I would agree. But clearly this sentiment has shifted toward the Heat.

Hey at least you've got a "big 3" of your own with Anthony, Stoudemire and Billups. Being a Raptors Fan, All we've got are some Euro trash and Demar De Rozan.

I was born and raised in and around Cincinnati and I grew up loving the Reds. I still do. Love their history etc.
I don't watch college football that much, but I sort of follow OSU.
Lived in Hollywood, FL in '70, but didn't know a thing about football or the Dolphins.
Moved to GA in the summer of '71.
First game I ever watched was the Dolphin/Dallas game in the SB on a black & white tv and fell in love with Shula and the team. And have been a fanatic ever since.
I don't buy the idea you pull for what team is closest to you. I have no use for the Falcons and their only about 80 miles up the road.
As for basketball, I know I'm in the minority, but I just am not interested in it.
Have just always loved baseball and then football.

Oh I also always had a soft spot for the Dodgers because I loved LaSorda. And watching that perfect infield they had, in the 80's, was a thrill.

Good points. What part of GA are you in?
As for the Knicks big 3 .... I think Billups will be gone.

Pine Mountain, GA.
About 4 miles from Callaway Gardens, if you've heard of it.
Also about 20 minutes away from Warm Springs, GA where Pres. Roosevelt's Little White House is.

Near Statesboro?? Do you know anything about Statesboro?
If not for the economy & housing tanking a few years ago I would be living there now. We went there looking at homes about 5 years ago & fell in love with Statesboro.
Someday , someway we will hopefully own some property there.

I've never been there. Not sure where it is. I think a girl we knew went to college there, but that's been a while back.
We're about 80 mi. S. of Atlanta. And about 30 N. of Columbus, GA
I love everything here, except this infernal humidity. LOL