[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 84 (Monday, June 26, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H4530-H4532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING THE MIAMI HEAT FOR WINNING THE 2006 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 887) congratulating the Miami Heat for 
winning the 2006 NBA Championship.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 887

       Whereas on June 20, 2006, the Miami Heat defeated the 
     Dallas Mavericks, the Western Conference Champions, in 6 
     games to win the 2006 National Basketball Association (NBA) 
     Championship;
       Whereas Dwyane Wade, of the Miami Heat, was named the 2006 
     NBA Finals Most Valuable Player;
       Whereas the Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls in 6 
     games in the first round of the NBA playoffs;
       Whereas the Miami Heat defeated the New Jersey Nets in 5 
     games in the second round of the NBA playoffs;
       Whereas, in the third round of the NBA playoffs, the Miami 
     Heat defeated the Detroit Pistons, their archrival and the 
     defending Eastern Conference Champions, in 6 games;
       Whereas the ``White Hot'' Miami Heat fans sold out the 
     American Airlines Arena and cheered on their hometown team;
       Whereas the Miami Heat remained persistent and continued to 
     believe in themselves throughout the playoffs;
       Whereas the Miami Heat are the first team since 1977 to win 
     4 NBA Finals games consecutively after losing the first two 
     games, and in doing so, the Miami Heat made one of the most 
     stunning turnarounds in NBA history;
       Whereas the Miami Heat became just the third team in the 
     history of the NBA Finals to win a series after losing the 
     first two games, and the first team in the history of the NBA 
     Finals to do so after losing the first two games by double-
     digit margins;
       Whereas this is the first NBA championship title for the 
     Miami Heat, which has long been one of the most outstanding 
     basketball programs in the Nation;
       Whereas Pat Riley, the head coach of the Miami Heat, has 
     cemented his legacy as one of basketball's all-time great 
     head coaches by winning his fifth NBA championship title;
       Whereas, in game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat were 
     losing by 13 points on their home floor with only 6 minutes 
     30 seconds left;
       Whereas the Miami Heat came back with the tenacity of 
     Dwyane Wade and won game 3 of the NBA Finals by 2 points;
       Whereas Micky Arison, owner and Managing General Partner of 
     the Miami Heat; Pat Riley, Head Coach and President of 
     Basketball Operations; Randy Pfund, General Manager; Eric 
     Woolworth, President of Business Operations; and Andy 
     Elisburg, Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations, 
     have shown a positive commitment to the Miami Heat franchise 
     by successfully acquiring, assembling, and maintaining a team 
     of high-quality, winning players;
       Whereas ``15 strong'' brought the first NBA championship 
     title to the City of Miami;
       Whereas the Miami Heat team of skilled players, 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, contributed extraordinary performances during the 
     regular season, the NBA playoffs, and the NBA Finals;
       Whereas veteran Michael Doleac, and future stars Jason 
     Kapono, Wayne Simien, Dorell Wright, Earl Barron, and Matt 
     Walsh, helped shape the Miami Heat by preparing the starters 
     for the postseason, giving the starters tough practices and 
     quality scrimmages;
       Whereas Shandon Anderson and Derek Anderson added to the 
     Miami Heat's experience base by bringing their knowledge and 
     NBA Finals experience from runner-up finishes in Utah and San 
     Antonio, respectively;
       Whereas, in game 6 of the NBA Finals, James Posey hit a big 
     3-pointer to put the Miami Heat up by 6 points with only 3 
     minutes left to play;
       Whereas Alonzo Mourning, returning from a nearly career-
     ending kidney illness and kidney transplant, came up with 6 
     rebounds and 5 monster blocked shots to turn the tide in game 
     6 of the NBA Finals;
       Whereas Gary Payton, having consistently shown his 
     greatness on two near-championship NBA teams, hit a 21-foot 
     jumper to save and seal a comeback victory for the Miami Heat 
     in game 3 of the NBA Finals;
       Whereas Jason Williams shot a team-high 34 percent from the 
     three-point line and led the Miami Heat in assists during the 
     NBA Finals, while directing the Miami Heat offense from the 
     point guard position;
       Whereas Antoine Walker, the Miami Heat's second-highest 
     scorer in the NBA Finals, scored 14 points and kept the Miami 
     Heat in important point-scoring opportunities by pulling down 
     11 big rebounds in game 6 of the NBA Finals;
       Whereas Udonis Haslem, playing with a badly injured 
     shoulder, showed the heart of a champion by contributing 17 
     points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals, one of which was with time 
     winding down;
       Whereas Shaquille ``Shaq'' O'Neal came to the Miami Heat 
     and on July 21, 2004 said, ``I want ya'll to remember this 
     day, because we're going to do it again in June. I'm going to 
     bring a championship to Miami. I promise you.'';
       Whereas Shaq delivered over 1,100 points, 104 blocks, 113 
     assists, and 541 rebounds in the regular season, adding 
     another 83 points, 5 blocks, 17 assists, and 33 rebounds in 
     the NBA Finals for his fourth NBA championship title;
       Whereas Dwyane Wade scored 42, 36, 43, and 36 points in the 
     Miami Heat's NBA Finals victories, leading all scorers;
       Whereas, in the NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade had the Miami 
     Heat's second-highest rebound total, with 47; the second-
     highest number of assists, with 28; the second-highest number 
     of blocks, with 6; the highest free throw percentage, at 77 
     percent; and the highest point total from the free-throw 
     line, with 75; all in route to his first NBA Finals Most 
     Valuable Player award;
       Whereas the Miami Heat coaching and support staff, 
     including Head Coach Pat Riley; Assistant Coaches Bob McAdoo, 
     Keith Askins, Erik Spoelstra, and Ron Rothstein; Assistant 
     Coach/Advance Scout Bimbo Coles; Strength and Conditioning 
     Coach Bill Foran; Athletic Trainer Ron Culp; and Assistant 
     Trainer Jay Sabol, exhibited exemplary leadership and 
     guidance to the team;
       Whereas the Miami Heat have not only been players on the 
     court, but have also been instrumental role models to the 
     south Florida community;
       Whereas the Miami Heat organization has a positive civic 
     impact on the south Florida community through the Miami HEAT 
     Family Outreach Charitable Fund, Heat Academy, Heat 
     Scholarships, Miami Heat Read to Achieve, Miami Heat Fun-
     Raiser, Miami Heat Wheels, Shoot For the Stars Books and 
     Basketball Summer Clinics, Heat Youth Basketball, and the 
     Miami Heat Learn to Swim Program; and
       Whereas the Miami Heat fans are a part of this championship 
     by supporting the team and giving the team the energy, 
     strength, love, and passion to compete each and every season: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
       (1) congratulates--
       (A) the Miami Heat for winning the 2006 National Basketball 
     Association (NBA) World Championship and for their 
     outstanding performance during the 2005-2006 NBA season; and
       (B) Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade for winning the 2006 NBA 
     Finals Most Valuable Player Award;
       (2) recognizes and praises the achievements of the Miami 
     Heat players, coaches, management, and support staff whose 
     hard work,

[[Page H4531]]

     dedication, and resilience proved instrumental throughout the 
     Miami Heat's championship season;
       (3) commends the south Florida community and the Miami Heat 
     fans for their dedication; and
       (4) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to--
       (A) each of the Miami Heat players;
       (B) Pat Riley, Miami Heat Head Coach and President of 
     Basketball Operations;
       (C) Micky Arison, Miami Heat owner and Managing General 
     Partner;
       (D) Randy Pfund, Miami Heat General Manager;
       (E) Eric Woolworth, Miami Heat President of Business 
     Operations;
       (F) Andy Elisburg, Miami Heat Senior Vice President of 
     Basketball Operations;
       (G) each of the Miami Heat coaches and trainers;
       (H) the Honorable Manny Diaz, Mayor of the City of Miami, 
     Florida;
       (I) the Honorable Carlos Alvarez, Mayor of Miami-Dade 
     County, Florida; and
       (J) the Honorable Jeb Bush, Governor of the State of 
     Florida.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate 
south Florida's own Miami Heat for winning the 2006 NBA championship. 
This momentous occasion marks the first NBA championship title for the 
Heat, a young franchise with a proud basketball tradition.
  Despite some hardships in the beginning of the 2005-2006 season, the 
Miami Heat remained persistent throughout the playoffs and the finals.
  I would like to recognize especially the Heat fans, as they are an 
integral part of this championship. Their relentless support energized 
the Heat players to compete each and every game. The ``White Hot'' Heat 
fans also helped to sell out the American Airlines arena and cheer 
their hometown team on to victory. An estimated 200,000 Heat fans came 
together last Friday during a parade down Biscayne Boulevard to 
celebrate the team's first championship in 18 years as a franchise.
  The Miami Heat players are not only an inspiration on the court, Mr. 
Speaker, but they are also role models to the youth of south Florida. 
Through its many charitable organizations, such as the Miami Heat 
Family Outreach Charitable Fund, Heat Scholarships, and the Miami Heat 
Read to Achieve program, the Heat franchise has contributed to the 
well-being of our community.
  The Heat coaching and support staff, led by head coach Pat Riley and 
owner, Micky Arison, have shown a positive commitment to the Heat 
franchise by successfully acquiring, assembling, and maintaining a team 
of high-quality winning players. And, of course, we need to applaud the 
achievements of the Miami Heat players, whose hard work and dedication 
proved instrumental throughout this NBA championship.
  The outstanding support given by the city of Miami, Miami-Dade 
County, and the State of Florida were all crucial in forging one of the 
best teams we have ever seen.
  Congratulations to our 15-strong Miami Heat team for bringing the 
first NBA title, the first of many, Mr. Speaker, to the city of Miami 
and to everyone who has participated in this magnificent season.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is definitely an honor being here on the floor with 
my colleague Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and also other colleagues from the 
Florida delegation to commend the Miami Heat. I am so glad my 
colleagues are here.
  As we know, the Miami Heat was a team that kind of came together over 
a period of 19 years to be able to bring about the kind of championship 
series that we have been able to witness over the last couple of weeks.
  I would like to commend the Dallas Mavericks for a hard-fought game, 
and I believe that it was a game of life. I mean, there were mistakes 
made and there were also ups and downs; but I can tell you when the 
Miami Heat was down by two games, they came fighting back and it was 
not easy, and I want to thank not only the Dallas fans but especially 
the Miami fans, and I want to thank the NBA in general for all of their 
assistance to local communities in Miami and also in Dallas.
  I would also like to, as we commend the Miami Heat, commend American 
Airlines for all that they did to not only assist both teams because 
they have arenas in both cities. They do quite a bit in both cities, 
and they also help fans travel back and forth to the games. I can tell 
you that this is especially unique for Miami because we have so many of 
the players who have been in the NBA for so long.
  Just on a personal note, a personal friend of mine, Alonzo Mourning, 
has a youth center in the middle of my district in Overtown, which is 
one of the areas where children are challenged, in a safe place to be. 
He has been able to provide that and is leading into his 10th year of a 
program called Zo's Summer Groove where a number of NBA players come to 
south Florida, along with the Miami Heat, and raise a lot of money for 
great kids.
  And I am also pleased with the coaching staff. I want to thank the 
members of the Florida delegation and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for putting in 
and mentioning the coaching staff and the front office there at the 
Miami Heat and Pat Riley, who has done an excellent job and who will go 
down in NBA history as one of the greatest coaches ever coaching the 
game.
  For the Miami Heat fans, we can't say enough. This resolution also 
outlines their contributions. Some 200,000 members of south Florida's 
community came out in celebration of the Miami Heat. And as we all 
know, Dwyane Wade, and we all know Shaquille O'Neal, there are a number 
of players there that have contributed quite a bit; and I can tell you 
that that sixth player on the court has always been the Miami Heat 
fans. Even when the Heat are out of town, I think we have a good travel 
team that goes along with them, Heat fans, and I know the ``White Hot'' 
fans that are still white hot for the Heat are still celebrating and 
still appreciating. As we are here now tonight, Mr. Speaker, Shaquille 
O'Neal who is one of the outstanding philanthropic members of our 
community and who cares so much about the people, he is actually 
putting on a celebration party on South Beach as we speak.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
  I just would like to congratulate Mr. Meek for rallying the support 
of our delegation behind the Miami Heat. Throughout every game, even 
those first tough ones, he was passing out beads for the Miami Heat and 
rallying support, along with Members of this body, even giving Heat 
beads to Dallas fans. So he was winning converts one fan at a time.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to 
another fan of the Miami Heat championship season, my good friend, Mr. 
Foley.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  I appreciate the efforts of both of my colleagues from south Florida, 
particularly Dade County, for introducing this resolution, H. Res. 887. 
I rise in strong support, and I want to congratulate the Miami Heat for 
winning the 2006 NBA championship.
  As chairman of the Travel and Tourism Caucus, I would also like to 
signal a hearty good luck to the American Airlines arenas, hosting both 
the Mavericks and the Heat. They had the good fortune of having the 
naming rights on both of those facilities; so they too have benefited 
significantly from this. American Airlines is an important airline in 
Florida into the Miami market and to Latin America; so they too join in 
the celebration as well.

[[Page H4532]]

  Since taking over the Heat a decade ago, owner Micky Arison has built 
the Heat into one of the NBA's marquee franchises. His steadfast 
leadership has now been rewarded with his first NBA championship.
  I want to congratulate coach Pat Riley. As many of you know, Coach 
Riley returned to the Heat bench part way into the season and led his 
team to a successful regular season and to the NBA finals. He brought 
together a team of many different personalities, leading them as one 
cohesive unit.
  I also want to recognize finalist MVP Dwyane Wade. Anyone watching 
could see that Mr. Wade elevated his game to another level during the 
finals. The Heat found themselves down two games to none and down by 13 
points with only 6 minutes remaining in game three. This was when Mr. 
Wade took over and led the Heat to a roaring comeback before a cheering 
crowd at American Airlines Arena.
  And we all know the Heat could not have done this without the 
outstanding effort and leadership of Shaquille O'Neal. When Mr. O'Neal 
was traded to the Heat in the summer of 2004, he promised he would 
bring a championship to Miami, and he held true to his promise.
  I also feel special recognition is in order for veteran players Gary 
Payton and Alonzo Mourning. This is a well-deserved championship for 
Alonzo as he has battled back from kidney disease and a kidney 
transplant to win his first championship.

                              {time}  1845

  This is a remarkable feat of accomplishment for any human being, much 
less a player of which so much is demanded on the court.
  I commend all the players and everyone involved with the Heat 
organization, including such fans as my local supporter, Richard 
Bernstein, who was here in D.C. and decided to fly home during the 
finals to his regular seat in the arena. He has been a passionate 
advocate for the Heat. He has never given up on them, no matter how 
dismal the season; and, of course, his loyalty and steadfast 
determination to sit by the Heat players as they went season to season 
has been amply rewarded by this outstanding victory.
  South Florida is thrilled. We will cherish and remember this 2006 
world championship. To all the fans who have given loyal support to the 
team, we thank them as well. All Florida celebrates the Miami Heat's 
championship.
  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Palm Beach for sharing those 
very thoughtful comments.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say how important this is not only for South 
Florida but also for the country. This team is a team of individuals 
that have been on NBA rosters for some time, and also some newcomers. 
Dwyane Wade was not known by the rest of the country prior to this NBA 
championship and this series.
  Just from a personal note, I took my two children to the game five; 
and it was one of the most enjoyable games I have ever witnessed in my 
entire life. Being there with my children and seeing so many other 
parents there with their children witnessing such a game between two 
great NBA teams was something I know they will never forget and 
something I will never forget.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope we can continue this. Like Ms. Ros-Lehtinen has 
said, I hope this is just the first of several resolutions. I look 
forward to coming to the floor commending the Miami Heat and commending 
the fans.
  But to my friends from Texas and from Dallas, I just want to let them 
know they have a great team, also; and we look forward to beating them, 
I mean playing with them, in the future as we move on.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my staff member, Eddy Acevedo, for 
his work in getting all of our Florida delegation united on this 
resolution.
  As my good friend from Florida (Mr. Meek) has pointed out, the Miami 
Heat players are not only tremendous athletes, outstanding people, but 
they also give back to the community so much. We thank them for their 
contribution to making South Florida a better place in which to live.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House 
Resolution 887.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 887.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________