The Heat are having a parade

Before it goes lounging around the world on Carnival Cruise Lines, the Larry O’Brien Trophy needed to take part in the Heat’s victory parade in Miami today.

Shaq, and Wade, and Pat Riley, and Udonis Haslem, and everyone else showed up.

It was great fun for everyone, what with Riles doing the Vince Carter motorcycle dance and the waterguns, and the 65 cases of sunstroke. When it was all over, Shaq guaranteed a back-to-back, and Pat Riley shuffled around the question of his return.

“Don’t ask me that,” Riley said. “Next. Please. I love you — but I can’t answer that right now.”

Our money is on “he actually really doesn’t know yet but will ultimately decide to stay”.

Also contemplating his future is Alonzo Mourning. We can’t find the quote at the moment, but he said something about it “being time to think about him self and maybe make a selfish decision”. This would be in sharp contrast to what happened in Jersey, or with Toronto the following week.

Or that time he was at the hospital and forcibly took that guy’s liver or whatever the hell was wrong with him. In any case, congrats to the Heat – with this post, we officially close the door on the 2005-2006 NBA season, which shall be forever known as “the one before LeBron won his first MVP and title.”