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STH Luncheon

Upon learning that his relentless HEAT team had clinched a spot in the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2001, HEAT Head Coach Stan Van Gundy put it best:

“We are where we are because there are 15 guys in that locker room who truly understand what it is to be a team. We won our way in to these playoffs, and for our team, and from what we came from, it’s an absolute great achievement. This team deserves the rewards.”

But with their one-track winning mentalities and the confidence to make huge strides this post-season, the HEAT players are remaining humble and preparing for what they guarantee to be an exciting and intense run.

“Once the ball goes into the air, we will be in that playoff atmosphere, and every possession truly counts,” said HEAT veteran center Brian Grant. “I believe that in any given series, we are ready and able to beat any team. We are really on the up-and-up.”

Teammate and fellow co-captain Eddie Jones couldn’t agree more.

“These are big stakes now and we are ready,” says Jones with an acute sense of assurance. “I am not afraid of any team in this league. We are just staying humble and remaining focused.”

Staying humble they are, as they play each game like it is their last.

“We have a lot more that we want to accomplish,” says Van Gundy. “We have to keep getting better and better in this final stretch because the challenges ahead will keep getting bigger and bigger.”

With several playoff “first-timers” eager to participate in what they have, in many cases, watched from the sidelines, the HEAT veterans are prepared to step up to help guide their younger teammates.

“For the most part, this team has matured on its own and led itself, but with the playoffs being a whole different environment, all of us veterans will be doing our part in leading the team,” says Grant.

For second-year HEAT starter Caron Butler, the sweet taste of the playoffs is at his fingertips, as he finally sees the team’s unyielding efforts paying off in a big way.

“We feel like we have one of the hardest working, if not, the hardest working team in the league. We are finally reaping the benefits of that,” says Butler, who couldn’t wipe his ear-to-ear grin off his face. “We are very excited, the chemistry is really flowing and we are all on the same page.”

With a HEAT team ready to “bring it on,” only time will tell just what this already accomplished group will show its fans.

“I’m psyched, we have some serious talent and the confidence to get the job done,” confirms Butler. “I feel on top of the world right now.”