“They embarrassed us on TV in front of our home crowd” - Tim Hardaway was ashamed after the Heat’s lopsided loss to the Hornets in the 2001 playoffs

Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning were brought in by the Miami Heat in 1995 under the watch of Pat Riley. Still, the South Beach squad got with the two stars in the playoffs was the Eastern Conference Finals during the 1996-97 season.

Unfortunately, the succeeding seasons saw the Heat tumble. The best they could do was reach the EC semifinals against the New York Knicks. After that, the team underwent a period of mediocrity. One forgettable season was the 2000-01, during which Miami could not reach the second round.

Hardaway was ashamed after the loss to the Hornets

With Mourning dealing with a kidney ailment and Hardaway not 100%, the Heat needed a boost to get past the Charlotte Hornets . Unfortunately, that never happened, and Miami ended up losing Game 1, 106-80. Regardless, Hardaway would not be deterred and vowed the Heat would bounce back in Game 2.

"They embarrassed us on TV in front of our home crowd," Tim said via UPI . "We have more pride than that."

The guard knew that he and the Heat could do better. But with him and Zo not at full health, the task of overcoming the Hornets was too much to ask. It was no longer the same run-and-gun team that Tim Bug used to know.

Despite his vow, the Heat could never get back at the Hornets. Miami lost the next two contests badly, Game 2 (102-76) and Game 3 (94-79), leading to their elimination that season. To make things worse, the big problem they failed to resolve was a former player named Jamal Mashburn .

Monster Mashing

Mashburn was the same player traded by the Heat to the Hornets in a multi-player trade. After averaging just 11.7 points in all his playoff appearances with the Heat, the 6-foot-8 forward upped his game significantly.

In that Eastern Conference first-round series, "Monster Mash" averaged 23.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals. But rather than hogging the credit, the Kentucky standout credited his teammates for his superb play.

"We have guys in our locker room who are very unselfish, " Jamal said. "That was something I hadn't been part of my whole seven years in the NBA."

Mashburn started his NBA journey with the Dallas Mavericks before joining the Heat in 1997. Although he didn't score much, he was one of the key players that helped make the Miami run-and-game function properly.

His stint with the Hornets proved to be his coming-out opportunity. Unfortunately, knee issues bothered the All-Star forward. After being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2006, Jamal opted to retire, struggling to recover from his chronic knee issues.

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