2006 NBA Champions
It’s been 18 years… The last time was when my dad was coaching the Lakers in ‘88. I was three years old and I hardly remember it… I do remember one thing: Magic Johnson was trying to steal my damn cookies when we were on the championship float, and I wouldn’t have any of that.
Well, we finally did it. My dad coached the Miami Heat to their first NBA title… Tonight was the most incredible night of my life. Words cannot even begin to explain the pure natual high and the amount of joy and fun that we all had. After the game we all rushed down to the court and pictures were taken of all of us, then my dad gave his speech, followed by the players. This all happened in Dallas, and the Mavericks fans weren’t being very good sports – a lot of them stayed behind and booed us the entire time. Afterwards we went off into the back parts of the arena, and there were interviews, and lots of them. I was hanging out with Amber quite a lot throughout the partying. I pretty much just met her that night – I’ve met her before but only briefly. She’s the daughter of one of my dad’s good friends. Really hilarious and fun girl.
While we were behind the scenes, I gave Amber my camera for a few minutes to take some pictures. We now have a picture of my sister and I pouring out two full bottles of Crystal on my dad’s head while he was getting ready for an interview… It took him by complete surprise. After all the interviews and such we drove over to The Mansion – a resort/hotel in Dallas, and we had our championship party there. All the players were there, there was great food, music, some great speeches by the players, and honestly it was the most fun night I’ve had my entire life. It was just a magical night… Things like this happen once in a lifetime…
After the party ended around 4 AM, the team, staff, and all the family headed back to the airport for an early flight back home. All the family flew back on the team plane with the team, and it was very much a party plane for the three hour flight. That is, until about 7 AM when everyone save a few of us fell asleep. Eric was making fun of some of the other assistant coaches for falling asleep, then two minutes later he dozed off. Naturally I had to take a picture of him to prove a point.
When we got back into Miami at around 8 AM, there was a crowd of easily 200 people waiting outside the airport. The Miami-Dade fire department was there waiting for us, and they sprayed the plane down with their fire hoses as a welcome back. When we walked out, several of the fans yelled “Thank you Pat!” and then they all slowly broke out into a chant of “Riley! Riley! Riley!” Apparently I was on national TV on CBS that morning… If anyone saw me, let me know!
The parade is on Friday at 2 PM, so be on the lookout for me and my family!
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