"We didn't fu*k with anybody else" - Goran Dragic on the reason behind Miami Heat's success in the bubble
Although it is sometimes hard to imagine those moments in the past when the whole world stopped functioning normally for a year due to the COVID pandemic, some things, including basketball, had to continue under the "new normal" standard. What began as a mere two-week lockdown in our own homes turned into a prolonged period of social isolation.
While the world struggled with the economic, health, and social difficulties that arose in such an environment, the NBA, after a brief pause, decided to form what we now call the Bubble League. Entire teams, players, and staff were isolated from the outside world at a resort in Florida, playing the rest of the COVID season and playoffs on neutral ground. For some, this presented a great challenge, but others found strength in this isolation from the outside world. Among those who thrived in this latter category was the Miami Heat team.
The Heat isolated in isolation
Oh, how many times have we heard about the renowned Heat Culture, initiated back in Pat Riley's coaching days and continued and solidified with Erik Spoelstra and the rest of the team. Rigorous training, strict commitment to rules, and no room for relaxation are just some of the famous principles of the South Beach team. It seems the Bubble was precisely the place to test the mental fortitude that Miami had in abundance.
The Heat’s veteran point guard, Goran Dragic, shared his vision of why this team, led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro, achieved this Cinderella and reached the NBA Finals.
“We were really close, as a team. We always hang out, we were like brothers. You had my back, I had Tyler’s (Herro) back… We were there to help each other, not every team is like that,” the Slovenian guard explained. “In the Bubble, what I think was the most important thing, we didn’t f*** with anybody else. We went to practice, from practice to lunch, we didn’t say hi to nobody.”
While players from other teams spent their free time with their "opponents," playing cards, gambling, or golfing, the Heat squad opted to chill together in their rooms, fostering strong bonds that way. It's well-known that team chemistry is crucial for winning the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy, and Dragic and his teammates took this aspect seriously.
Butler and Co. ran out of gas in the Finals
While they easily defeated the Indiana Pacers (4-0), Milwaukee Bucks (4-1), and Boston Celtics (4-2), the Heat met the Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, in the final round. Injured, tired, and straight-up outplayed by the Lakers, Miami fell in six hard-fought games. LeBron secured his fourth title with his third franchise and made history, while fans and some analysts still criticize him for winning that championship ring without the pressure of opposing fans, playing in front of empty stands, and without long and tiring cross-country flights.
Similarly, the experience was true for James as it was for all other players, and despite the absence of usual challenges, the Bubble championship introduced a new set of obstacles that the champions had to conquer to prevail.
