SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Disappointment set in as local Miami Heat fans coped with their hometown team’s elimination from this season’s Eastern Conference semifinals, Sunday evening.
Hundreds of cheering fans showed up to support their team at a road rally held at the Carolina Ale House in Southwest Miami-Dade. However, those cheers petered out as it became clear the Toronto Raptors, not the Heat, would go on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers — and LeBron James — at the Eastern Conference finals.
To make matters more painful, the Heat lost by 27 points, 116-89. “I’m sad, pretty upset that we lost,” said disheartened fan Adrian Alonso.
Another fan credited the Raptors for an aggressively played game. “We tried, but they wanted it more,” said Yusmany Perez.
Early on in the game, however, Heat fans were feeling confident. “I believe, I believe, I believe in them,” said Isola Lanzo.
The Miami Heat dancers, all dressed in white tops, delighted participants with their high-energy choreography. The rally may have been white hot, but up north in Toronto, the Heat felt a spring chill as they fell behind by double digits during the third quarter.
7News cameras captured fans’ faces as joy gave way to anguish. “They’re missing their free throws,” said John Delgado. “It wasn’t working.”
Even the Heat dancers couldn’t shake fans out of their disappointment. “I think they could have played better,” said Josue Figueroa. “They weren’t really playing a lot of defense.”
Fans holding out hope saw their dreams of a 2015-16 championship dashed as the final buzzer marked the end of Game 7.
But while the Raptors get ready to take on the Cavs on Tuesday, local Heat fans said it should have been Dwyane Wade and the rest of the team taking on LeBron. “I really wanted it to be the Miami Heat against LeBron,” said Alonso. “After he left us, you know, I wanted to see that we could still prove him something.”
Perez, however, maintained a positive outlook, and is already looking forward to what the next season will bring. “I hope that next year we’ll come back even stronger and make to the finals then and win it again,” he said.
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