The 2001–02 Miami Heat season was the 14th season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association.
Season summary
Off-season During the off-season, the Heat re-acquired Chris Gatling from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade; Gatling previously played for the Heat during the second half of the 1995–96 season. The team also signed free agents Rod Strickland, LaPhonso Ellis, Kendall Gill, then later on signed Jim Jackson in December.
For the season, the Heat revealed new red alternate road uniforms with black side panels; these uniforms would remain in use until 2010, while the shorts were slightly redesigned in 2009.
Regular season Despite the addition of Strickland and Ellis, and with the return of Alonzo Mourning after dealing with a kidney disorder the previous season, the Heat struggled and lost 23 of their first 28 games of the regular season, which included a 12-game losing streak between November and December. The team soon recovered from their awful start, and played above .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, winning nine of their next twelve games, and holding an 18–29 record at the All-Star break. However, the Heat finished in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 36–46 record, and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1994–95 season.
Eddie Jones averaged 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and led the Heat with 149 three-point field goals, while Mourning averaged 15.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, and Jackson played a sixth man role off the bench, providing the team with 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. In addition, Strickland contributed 10.4 points and 6.1 assists per game, while Brian Grant provided with 9.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, and second-year guard Eddie House contributed 8.0 points per game. Meanwhile, Ellis averaged 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, Gatling provided with 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, Gill contributed 5.7 points per game, and Anthony Carter provided with 4.3 points and 4.6 assists per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mourning was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his final All-Star appearance. The Heat finished 19th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 655,549 at the American Airlines Arena during the regular season.
Aftermath This season also proved to be Mourning's final season with the Heat, and although he was on the roster the following season, he was unable to play due to another kidney condition; he would eventually return to the Heat midway through the 2004–05 season after a brief stint with the New Jersey Nets. This season also marked the first time in Pat Riley's coaching career that he failed to get his team into the NBA playoffs. Following the season, Gill signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Jackson signed with the Sacramento Kings during the next season, Strickland was released to free agency, and Gatling retired.
Offseason
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 2 48 Ken Johnson C Ohio State
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
Player statistics
Ragular season PlayerSG81 81 3,156 378 262 117 77 1,480 39.0 4.7 3.2 1.4 1.0 18.3PG 76 64 2,294 232 463 82 11 794 30.2 3.1 6.1 1.1 .1 10.4C 75 74 2,455 632 87 27 186 1,178 32.7 8.4 1.2 .4 2.5 15.7PF 72 72 2,256 575 137 48 31 673 31.3 8.0 1.9 .7 .4 9.3C 67 4 884 270 16 24 44 285 13.2 4.0 .2 .4 .7 4.3SF 66 14 1,684 287 56 30 37 469 25.5 4.3 .8 .5 .6 7.1SG 65 49 1,410 184 100 44 8 372 21.7 2.8 1.5 .7 .1 5.7PG 64 3 1,230 110 123 43 5 514 19.2 1.7 1.9 .7 .1 8.0SF 55 19 1,825 290 140 42 14 589 33.2 5.3 2.5 .8 .3 10.7PF 54 1 809 206 25 17 11 345 15.0 3.8 .5 .3 .2 6.4PG 46 18 1,050 117 214 50 3 198 22.8 2.5 4.7 1.1 .1 4.3C 21 6 319 75 8 5 10 96 15.2 3.6 .4 .2 .5 4.6PG 15 0 119 14 19 6 1 42 7.9 .9 1.3 .4 .1 2.8PF 12 2 161 38 5 3 8 52 13.4 3.2 .4 .3 .7 4.3SF 12 1 159 14 4 5 1 40 13.3 1.2 .3 .4 .1 3.3SF 9 2 98 18 5 4 0 20 10.9 2.0 .6 .4 .0 2.2C 3 0 21 6 0 0 1 3 7.0 2.0 .0 .0 .3 1.0 References