Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning were brought in by the Miami Heat in 1995 under the watch of Pat Riley. The best finish the South Beach squad could reach with the two stars was an Eastern Conference Finals stint during the 1996-97 season.
Unfortunately, the succeeding seasons saw the Heat tumble. The best they could do was reach the EC semifinals against the New York Knicks. After that, the team underwent a period of mediocrity. One forgettable season was the 2000-01 wars, during which Miami could not reach the second round.
Hardaway was ashamed after the loss to the Hornets
With Mourning dealing with a kidney ailment and Hardaway not 100%, the Heat needed a boost to get past the Charlotte Hornets . Unfortunately, that never happened, and Miami ended up losing Game 1, 106-80. Regardless, Hardaway would not be deterred and vowed the Heat would bounce back in Game 2.
“They embarrassed us on TV in front of our home crowd,” Hardaway said via UPI . “We have more pride than that.” …