Franchise that defines winning in this market does it again

It wasn’t easy. Is it ever?

It wasn’t pretty. Does that matter?

With resolve and reserves, the Miami Heat closed out Milwaukee in Game 5 of their playoff series Tuesday, 103-94, and bloomed again like a single, solitary rose in a barren land, spreading their petals for everyone to behold.

Again, they achieved something consequential.

Again, they earned everything conversational.

Again, by being smarter and better, by reversing misfortune and mistakes, the one blue-ribbon franchise in South Florida returned to the Eastern Conference finals by showing everyone how success is made. And remade. And reremade.

No, this plateau won’t make Pat Riley drop another ring before the next freeagent whale. The Heat aren’t near the

top of the mountain considering how much heavy climbing is ahead to that point. But take a moment. Look back at the achievement to reach this far.

It’s been five cursed and confounding years since the Heat advanced this far, and it’s been a painful wait for them.

“Not used to being out this time of year,” Erik Spoelstra said when the playoffs were raging a year ago and the Heat weren’t in them.

Look what they’ve done – what they keep doing, really. Six years ago LeBron James left, five years ago Chris Bosh left and that’s the kind of one-two sucker-punch that sends NBA franchises to lottery hell for for years. They made the playoffs once, even advancing a round.

Then they Heat rebuilt without a top-10 pick. They reconfigured with no spare bundle of salary-cap dollars. They did this Riley by doing whatever is necessary to put a winner on the floor.

Think better? Philadelphia signed Tobias Harris. The Heat signed Jimmy Butler.

Scout stronger? The Heat turned has 14th and 13th picks into Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Adebayo was named second-team all-defense Tuesday before struggling the game. All Herro did was hit some big shots again Tuesday as the rookie closed with 14 points.

This wasn’t about rings. This was about returning to form. This is about recognizing an organization that keeps losing big players through the years and keeps returning to the top in manner to tip your cap right now. It’s not just what they’ve now, in the bright moment.

Riley did this first in getting Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway to be franchise centerpieces. Then, when they left, in came Dwyane Wade and, soon, Shaquille O’Neal. When Shaq tired of working, Riley thought bigger than anyone in forming The Big Three – LeBron James, Bosh and Wade.

And when those two rings and four NBA Finals were done?

Here they are, in the Eastern Conference Finals again. It’s not easy, folks. Not the building. Not the winning. Not Game 5 on Tuesday even with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo out with an ankle injury.

The Heat started putrid. Jimmy Butler, three turnovers. Herro, airball. Milwaukee had a 11-point lead at the quarter. Panic? Anger? Surely, something time to take the volume up three notches in the team huddle between quarters?

Erik Spoelstra, during his between-quarters TV interview, was the face of calm. He knew what everyone was thinking. He took the volume down three levels instead.

“You don’t know how much we want this,” Spoelstra said.

The Heat then played like the Heat. They went on a 30-9 run, led by six at halftime and never looked … OK, they looked back right to the final minute. Right to when Jae Crowder, one of those smart in-season pick-ups, hit two foul shots with 11.5 seconds left to send Milwaukee into the off-season.

Next?

Boston leads Toronto 3-2. There will be time to measure that soon enough. But for now, relish the smiles you never see until moments like this. Spoelstra as the seconds counted down. Dragic, knowing they’d closed it out. Riley, perhaps somewhere up in the bubble stands, too.

It wasn’t easy or pretty, but that’s not the story Tuesday. The Heat bloomed again. The franchise that defines winning in this market is winning again.

Dave Hyde