MIAMI – The Miami Heat upset the second-seeded Boston Celtics Monday night, winning Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to once again move on to the NBA Finals.
Local 10 News was at Dick’s Sporting Goods flagship store near the Dadeland Mall on Tuesday, which just got one of the first shipments of new Heat Eastern Conference Championship merchandise.
Heat fans were seen packing the store to buy brand-new NBA Finals shirts, hats, tumblers and even a Jimmy Butler doll for good luck.
“For us, it’s a priority that our athletes are geared up and ready to support the local team. The Heat, they’re white hot! They’re too hot to stop!,” said Robert Pimentel, of Dick’s Sporting Goods.
With the Heat playing this game on the road, fans in Miami anxiously watched from inside the Kaseya Center on Monday night.
“Heat winning today -- I have no doubt about it,” one fan told Local 10 ahead of the game.
Diehards desperately tried to keep it together.
“You have to think positive,” one fan said.
“We just have to stay focused,” another added.
Some embraced their faith.
“I believe in a higher power,” one fan said.
“We gotta keep our heads up and have our faith in all the players,” another added.
But after four quarters, it was the white hot Heat that came out ahead, winning by a final score of 103 to 84.
The big win drew out fans all over South Florida.
Sky 10 captured a celebration in downtown Miami as pumped-up people gathered outside the Kaseya Center.
Large crowds also lined the streets in Hialeah and Westchester, celebrating as only South Florida can — with their pots and pans.
Some fans were even seen setting off fireworks.
It was a similar sight in Hialeah where Heat flags flew high after fans finally said goodbye or adios to Boston.
“Jimmy Butler did say we’d be in the same position and we definitely got some revenge on them tonight, for sure,” said one fan.
Local 10 News spoke with diehard fans that have supported the team for decades and remember Miami’s last championship win with the “Big 3″ —Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
“I’ve been a longtime fan. I was here with Bosh, with D-Wade, with LeBron and Now we’re here!”
While many fans are excited to see the Heat play in their seventh NBA Finals since 2006, others know the job isn’t finished yet.
“It is pretty cool, I’m definitely going to have to flex all of this merch after this interview, but I really hope that the Heat sweep the floor with the Nuggets,” said Heat fan Joshua Reyes.
A Dick’s Sporting Goods worker told Local 10 News that before their doors opened this morning, they had 60 to 70 online orders for new merchandise.
Watch Heat fans celebrate in the streets after their Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics in the video below.