Jun 3, 2006 1:43 am US/Eastern
Arison To Team: 'Celebrate Tonight, Work Tomorrow'
by Jim Berry
MIAMI (CBS4 News) ―
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Miami Heat Owner Mickey Arison Smiles After His Team Wins The NBA East And Heads To The NBA Finals
The owner of the Miami Heat waited for almost 20 years for this day. A Heat official slapped a cap on his head which said it all, "NBA East Champions." For the first time since the Heat took to the boards in 1988, Mickey Arison's team was headed to the NBA Finals.
Some of the experts said the Heat, coached by Pat Riley, made the 95-78 win over the Pistons look easy. Arison said it didn't look that way from the owner's seat
"I wasn't feeling comfortable until there were three minutes left," Arison told CBS4's Jim Berry. "I means, they (the Pistons) are such a great time, they've come back so many times, but our guys were just tremendous."
Arison, the billionaire owner of Carnival Cruise Lines, put tremendous faith in Heat Coach Pat Riley, allowing him to tinker with the team, finding the money to bring in top notch players like O'Neal, when the Heat struggled with losing seasons.
After the Heat lost to the Pistons in the playoffs in 2005, Riley made adjustments to a team many though was just fine as it was, causing some in the game to question his changes. Not Arison.
"I never questioned him, I never did. You know, we felt we had a great team last year, and we feel we have a better team this year."
Arison says Riley kept what was good about last year's team, and made it better. "I think both teams had a chance, obviously, this one had a better chance."
While Arison was all smiles after accepting the Eastern Division Championship Trophy, he knows now is not the time for his team to rest on its achievement.
"We've got 4 more to go," he said. "I mean, our goal has always been 4 more. We're gonna have fun tonight, but everybody's going to get back to work tomorrow."
The finals begin June 8th.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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