III 109th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 519 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 21, 2006 Mr. Martinez (for himself and Mr. Nelson of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Congratulating the Miami Heat for winning the National Basketball Association Championship.

Whereas on Tuesday, June 20, 2006, the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 95 to 92, in Dallas, Texas; Whereas that victory marks the first National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship for the Miami Heat franchise; Whereas after losing the first 2 games of the NBA Finals, the Heat came back to win 4 games in a row, which earned the team an overall record of 69–37 and the right to be named NBA champions; Whereas Pat Riley, over his 11 seasons with the Heat, has maintained a standard of excellence within the franchise and has won his fifth championship as head coach of an NBA team; Whereas Dwyane Wade, who averaged 34.7 points in the series, was named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals following the Heat victory; Whereas Shaquille O’Neal fulfilled his 2004 promise to his teammates and the residents of Miami by delivering the title to the Miami Heat; Whereas each member of the Miami Heat roster, including Derek Anderson, Shandon Anderson, Earl Barron, Michael Doleac, Udonis Haslem, Jason Kapono, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, James Posey, Wayne Simien, Dwyane Wade, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and Dorell Wright, played a meaningful role in bringing the NBA Championship to Miami; Whereas owner Micky Arison has built a top-flight sports franchise and shown a consistent commitment to bringing a winning team to Miami; and Whereas the Miami Heat and its fans are hot in the wake of its first NBA championship: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (a)congratulates the Miami Heat for its victory in the 2006 National Basketball Association Championship; and (b)requests the Secretary of the Senate to transmit for appropriate display an enrolled copy of this resolution to— (1)the owner of the Miami Heat, Micky Arison; and (2)the general manager and coach of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley.