Heat, City of Miami take in championship celebration

Floats carrying owner Micky Arison, Miami radio and television crews and the Heat dance team followed an entourage of trucks holding Dwyane Wade, star center Shaquille O’Neal and head coach Pat Riley among others.

The parade traveled between throngs of fans that lined both sides of Biscyane Boulevard on a bright, breezy afternoon in south Florida. Fans lined the streets since the early morning hours clad in Heat gear, holding signs and showing their appreciation for a club that fought back from a two-game deficit to defeat Dallas and capture its first NBA championship.

At times the players looked as excited as the fans, climbing out of the trucks and greeting them with high-fives and handshakes.

"I want to make this one a little more personal," said O’Neal. "I just wanted to get out to touch some people."

Confetti and streamers flowed through the sky as an expected crowd of 250,000 welcomed the party-like atmosphere.

The Heat overcame a 13-point deficit in Game 3 to stave off an insurmountable series deficit, then held serve on their home floor in both Game 4 and 5.

Wade followed with a performance that conjured memories of Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan, hitting clutch shots and willing his club to a victory in Game 6 that clinched the NBA title.

"I’m just wowed about winning a championship," said Wade. "We deserve it. We put a lot of hard work in. Our fans deserve it."

The core of the champions — Wade, O’Neal, Jason Williams, Udonis Haslem and Antoine Walker — will return for a title defense. The only question marks are James Posey, Gary Payton and 61-year-old head coach Pat Riley, who pushed all of the correct buttons after moving from the ownership suite to the bench early in the season.

For today at least, thoughts of next year didn’t take away from a the celebration after 18 years of waiting.