"Shaq was doing a lot of parties back then" - Antoine Walker says 2006 Miami Heat partied their way to the NBA title

Partying is usually in the way of success. However, the 2005-06 Miami Heat used it to bond as a unit and survive a tough playoff run to win the ultimate prize.

Antoine Walker talked about his experience playing for that Heat squad. He joined Miami before the start of the season and ended up winning his only championship ring that year.

"Shaq was doing a lot of parties back then," Walker admitted during his recent appearance on the Forgotten Seasons podcast. "We would have parties on the road and kick it. I mean, it was just a fun season, man. We had a lot of fun."

The 15 Strong Miami Heat

Things didn't look easy initially as the Heat were off to a slow 11-10 start. Stan Van Gundy stepped down, and Pat Riley took over the coaching duties. The parties continued despite Riley's watchful eye. But somehow, the late-night escapades didn't affect the team's performance and even made them jell better as a group.

With the Godfather calling the shots from the bench, the '06 Miami finished the season with a 41-20 record. They won the Southeast Division and secured the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Heat got their revenge on the Detroit Pistons in the ECF—they lost to Chauncey Billups and Co. the year before in a seven-game series—and then came back from a 2-0 NBA Finals deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks and win the title.

"I always tell people, I've never partied and played basketball like that in my life," Antoine continued. "That 15 Strong saying was so strong, man. We hung out with each other. There were never any problems internally. It was a special year, man. I will always remember it. My college championship was special, but this was special too because we did it on the big stage, in the NBA, with those guys."

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Connection was the key to victory

In an episode of The OGs Show, former Heat captain Udonis Haslem also discussed the special bond that the squad shared. While the team had more than enough talent to win the championship that year, it was that connection that they had with each other that was the key to victory.

"Part of this sh*t is connection. You got to connect with a group of guys that love playing with each other, that actually give a f*ck about each other off the basketball court, then that sh*t translate to being on the basketball court. So, one thing we did with that team is we spent a lot of time together. When we weren't playing, we were partying, but we were still together," said Haslem.

Before the 2006 NBA Finals, only 16 teams had returned from a 2-0 deficit in the playoffs to win a series. After losing the first two games in Dallas, the Heat could have easily folded. But instead, they stayed together and pulled off four straight wins to capture the first championship in franchise history.

Fittingly, Shaq capped off the special season with a White Hot Championship Party at the Mansion nightclub.

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