A Look at Miami Heat's 5 Best Seasons by Winning Percentage
The Miami Heat, one of the most successful and consistent National Basketball Association (NBA) franchises since joining the league in 1988-89, has won three titles and made the playoffs in 24 of 36 seasons. Miami only has five losing seasons in the 2000s and has only missed the playoffs in four of the last 16 seasons.
Below is a look at five of the most successful regular seasons in Heat history and how the team has fared in the playoffs in those years.
2012-13 (.805)
Miami had its best-ever regular season in 2012-13, winning 66 of 82 games for a .805 winning percentage. Their 66-16 record was first in the Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference, and overall NBA standings. Led by head coach Erik Spoelstra, the team also led the league in field goal percentage (49.6), finished second in three-point percentage (39.6), and was top-10 in assists (23.0), steals (8.7), blocks (5.4), and turnovers (13.9) per game. LeBron James, in his third season with the Heat, won NBA MVP for the second consecutive season after averaging 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.
Miami won its third and most recent NBA title in 2012-13 after beating the San Antonio Spurs in seven games in the NBA Finals. The team previously beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Final and beat the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks in the first two rounds. Hall of Famer Ray Allen made one of the all-time great shots in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation.
1996-97 (.744)
After winning just 42 games the year prior, Miami went 61-21 in 1996-97 for a .744 winning percentage. They won the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history in their second season with Pat Riley, the team's current president, as head coach. Miami's success during the regular season was due in large part to their solid team defense. The Heat finished third in opponent points allowed per game (89.3) and was just 22nd in points scored (94.8). Tim Hardaway, a five-time All-Star inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2022, led the Heat in scoring with 20.3 PPG. Alonzo Mourning, Jamal Mashburn, and Voshon Lenard were among the team's other leading scorers.
As good as Miami was in 1996-97, they had the misfortune of meeting the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Final after series wins over the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks. Chicago won the series in five games and subsequently beat the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals to win its fifth of six titles in an eight-year period from 1990-91 to 1997-98.
2004-05 (.720)
In one of his three seasons as the Heat's head coach, Stan Van Gundy led the team to a 59-23 record in 2004-05. Miami finished fourth in PPG (101.5) and was eighth in opponents points (95.0. They were also first in field goal percentage (48.6) and third in three-point efficiency (37.7). Dwayne Wade, in just his second season in the league, led the Heat in scoring with 24.1 PPG. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, made the All-Defensive 2nd Team, and finished eighth in MVP voting. Shaquille O'Neal finished second in team scoring with 22.9 PPG in his first season in Miami.
Miami swept the New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards in the first two rounds of the playoffs before losing in seven games to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Final. They led 3-2 in the series and lost 91-66 in Game 6 and 88-82 in Game 7.
2010-11 (.707)
Less than a year after forming the "Big 3" in Miami with Wade and Chris Bosh and proclaiming the team would win, "not one, not two, not three, not four ..." NBA titles, James and the Heat lost in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. Miami lost just three games in the first three rounds of the playoffs before losing in six games in the NBA Finals.
James and Wade finished first and second in scoring with 26.7 and 25.5 PPG, respectively. Bosh, in his first season with the Heat, averaged 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. While James didn't fulfill his promise of more than four titles in Miami, he won twice during his four-year tenure with the team before returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2011-12 (.697)
Miami won its first of two consecutive NBA titles in 2011-12 after going 46-20 in the shortened season, which didn't begin until December due to a lockout. The Heat finished first in the Southeast Division and had the fourth-most wins among all teams. This was the only season in a five-year stretch in which James didn't win an NBA MVP, although he led the Heat in regular season scoring with 27.1 PPG and won NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career.
Miami beat the Knicks, Pacers, and Celtics in the first three rounds of the playoffs before beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the NBA Finals.