What is ‘Heat culture’? The truth about Miami’s identity, according to those who live it
MIAMI – Jimmy Butler has some classic new material for the Heat’s infamous Championship Alley once this magical postseason run ends.
There’s the image of him screaming at the Miami crowd during his sensational 56-point barrage against Milwaukee in the first round. There’s the moment he went forehead-to-forehead with Grant Williams of Boston in Game 2 of the conference finals. Butler also went viral for his mocking timeout signal toward Al Horford in the next game against the Celtics.
But if there’s one image that encapsulates “Heat Culture” and how it has led Miami back to the NBA Finals, it isn’t the Heat’s emotional leader beating his chest during a moment of triumph.
It is Butler and Gabe Vincent smiling on the bench in the final seconds of a blowout loss to the Celtics in Game 4.
To much of the basketball world, something clearly shifted that night. After falling behind 3-0 in the series, the Celtics picked up something in the second half that gave them a victory and new life.
Despite having the glory of a conference finals sweep ripped away, Butler and his teammates were unfazed.
They weren’t angry or tense or distressed. They were about as unfazed as anyone can be amid a 17-point loss.
That defiance, or downright stubbornness, when adversity hits is what “Heat Culture” is all about, especially in this new phase with Butler at the forefront.
The Heat know who they are. They have never doubted themselves, even after most of the basketball world wrote them off on multiple occasions this season.
They understand the makeup of this organization has been forged over the past few decades. They’ve been immersed in an environment where obstacles are approached with a smile. Accountability is a daily reality. Competition is a way of life.
Each time this team has been knocked down – by injuries or crushing losses – it has found a way to pick itself up and come back stronger.
Seeing a team lose in the first round of the Play-In Tournament and still make the NBA Finals seems like something out of a sports movie for most. But none of this is shocking for the Heat. The way they go about their business emboldens them during moments of turmoil. It’s probably when they feel most comfortable.
“We do it every single day, and we know what we’re capable of. The outside individuals don’t get to see that,” Butler said on Wednesday. “We’re going to stay confident because we’re in the grind every single day.”
“It’s not for everybody,” Udonis Haslem told The Athletic.
It can get intense. We saw that last season when Butler and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra nearly came to blows after a heated confrontation on the sidelines.
It can be mentally draining. As Kelly Olynyk told our Jason Quick earlier this season about Spoelstra’s coaching style, “A lot of teams avoid confrontation; he runs toward it. He likes confrontation … loves it. He thinks it makes you stronger, makes you better.”
These types of emotional altercations are commonplace behind closed doors in Miami. Every now and then, they spill into the public domain. But it’s not players and coaches screaming at each other for no reason.
As Olynyk said, these clashes come with the greater goal in mind.
The environment of accountability within the Heat organization is what prevents bad habits and selfishness from festering within the team dynamic. During tough times, those fissures turn into massive chasms as the weight of the world falls on a team.
In Miami, one of the main goals is to stomp those issues out before they gain any light. That’s part of what allows them to be so calm, even when the walls seem to be caving in on them.
“It’s the sacrifice to be here and to give in to what the team needs. I think it’s at its highest right now,” Max Strus told The Athletic. “Everybody’s given themselves to the team. Whatever the team needs, and there’s no ego about anything right now. … That’s Heat culture.”
The constant pressure they feel from within the building also makes things easier for the Heat when the playoffs arrive. Players under Spoelstra always have to feel like they’re on edge. There’s always an emphasis on pushing themselves to win in everything they do.
Hard work isn’t enough; it’s the bare minimum. There has to be a greater purpose behind it. These demands can be too much for some to handle. Some players rolled through Miami and said the organization’s way of doing things was too much for them.
The Heat lifers enjoy hearing stories like that. They prefer an environment where only certain kinds of players can survive. It’s what separates them from everyone else around the league.
“You’re gonna be challenged – physically, mentally and emotionally – to be at your best,” Haslem told The Athletic. “It’s hard work. It’s accountability. It’s dedication. Enjoying other people’s success. It’s all things that aren’t natural to the human body and mind. The human body and mind naturally doesn’t want to work hard. It naturally wants to be selfish. It naturally doesn’t want to be held accountable every single day. It’s all the things you usually don’t want to do that you have to do once you come here.
“And it’s not one day. You’ve got to do it every day.”
Part of the reason Miami has been able to maintain so many of these core beliefs is the longevity the organization has established at every level of the franchise. Pat Riley has been team president since 1995. General Manager Andy Elisburg has been with the organization for over 30 years. Spoelstra has been head coach since 2008.
Haslem has also maintained his role as protector of all things “Heat Culture” within the locker room for the past 20 seasons. He’s making his sixth trip to the Finals in what will eventually be his final season as a pro. He’s seen it all during his time in Miami.
Despite having his role significantly diminished over the years, his voice still holds weight among his teammates. One of the things he takes the most pride in is how much the franchise has emphasized keeping those around who understand what they cherish most and embrace being in it.
“Things change and evolve around the league, but we’re always about stability, loyalty and commitment. … When you talk about culture, it’s not just the basketball,” Haslem said. “When we talk about it, it’s family. We talk about a brotherhood. All these guys that you see here (on the coaching staff): Caron Butler, Malik Allen, Chris Quinn. I played with these guys. Andre Carter, I just missed, but I grew up watching AC when he played here. All this is like family.”
Haslem was a prominent role player during Miami’s Big 3 era in the early 2010s, and he knows what it’s like to live up to the daily expectations of being the favorites.
Things are different for him now. This year’s Heat is the first No. 8 seed to reach the Finals since 1999. Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets are viewed as the heavy favorites over Miami.
Haslem believes this particular Heat team loves being counted out by the masses. They’ve been at their best when no one believed in them.
Haslem thinks this underdog role “seems more natural” for everyone in the organization.
“We’re more comfortable in our skin from this position,” he said. “This is where we are most of the time anyway and we love it. We’re cool with it.”
No one has embodied that “Us against the world” mindset for Miami more than Butler since his arrival in 2019.
While Butler was still figuring out how to transition into the next phase of his career after leaving Chicago, a different Heat Lifer, Dwyane Wade, was constantly telling Butler how much he’d fit in Miami because of the way he viewed the game.
During his previous stops, Butler was considered tough to deal with for some. He’s even had a few rocky moments during his time in Miami. But those rocky moments have only made the bond between Butler, Spoelstra and the rest of the organization even stronger. It’s helped shift Miami back into a dominant force in the East.
Butler has been to the conference finals three times in his four seasons with the Heat. This is the second time he’s made it to the Finals with the Heat. But, now more than ever, Butler feels like a force that has willed his team to victory over and over again.
“My style of leadership works here. … (Wade) always told me about the culture here and how it fits who I am, what I’m about and how I go about things,” Butler said. “It really is a match made in heaven. I love it here.”
The chip that Butler has carried on his shoulder throughout his career permeates this roster. It’s been a unifying factor for the entire team.
Older veterans like Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love are trying to prove they can still contribute on a championship level after some people thought their careers were essentially over. The four undrafted free agents at the core of Miami’s rotation (Strus, Vincent, Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin) have all proven to be crucial pieces to the puzzle after once being viewed as castoffs.
Thriving in the underdog role is at the core of this group’s identity.
“You’ve got to have a little chip on your shoulder, for whatever reason. Everybody has chips for different reasons,” Haslem said. “I think all of us have something we can use. Instead of going out there and playing the game and letting the things you do fall on deaf ears and blind eyes, you play for something a little bit more. It’s a little bit more driving us. It’s a little bit more pushing us. That just helps you rise to the expectation of the culture.”
As Butler’s profile has grown and he’s put up historic numbers while leading the offense, he’s given his teammates credit for building him up and putting him in position to play this way. The way the organization has embraced every bit of the Jimmy Butler experience has allowed him to play the best basketball of his career during this playoff run.
Despite the huge numbers he’s putting up, Butler has been more than willing to build up his teammates and display the ultimate confidence in their abilities whenever he speaks in public. This is the same guy who guaranteed victory three games in a row against the Celtics before he eventually got it right in Game 7.
But he also pushes them to seize control on the court when the time is right. Along with Butler, Vincent has been excellent in his starting point guard role. Robinson emerged once again as an offensive centerpiece off the bench. Martin has been dominating so much that he almost stole Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
As great as Butler has been, the Heat don’t survive that wacky seven-game series against Boston without those key pieces around him taking ownership of the offense at different times. And part of the reason those guys have been so fearless on the court is Butler’s unwavering belief in what they can do.
“I just think the guys that Coach Spo and Coach Pat put together when a guy goes down, the next guy could fill in that gap and do exactly what that guy that went down did, and do it at a high level,” said Butler. “Then, be humble enough to know that when that guy comes back, you’ve got to take a step back and get back in your role. Nobody ever complains.
“I don’t call them role players; I call them teammates, because your role can change any given day.”
— The Athletic’s Joe Vardon contributed to the reporting for this story.
(Illustration by Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic. Photos: Michael Reaves / Getty Images, Elsa / Getty Images, Issac Baldizon / NBAE via Getty Images, Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images, Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)
