Miami Floridians - The Floridians

The Floridians

Following the 1969-1970 season, new owner Ned Doyle dropped "Miami" from the team's name and made it a "regional" franchise, scheduling games in Miami (back at the Miami Beach Convention Center), Tampa-St. Petersburg at the Curtis Hixon Hall and Bayfront Arena, Jacksonville at the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum, and in West Palm Beach at the West Palm Beach Auditorium. In an unprecedented move, Doyle "fired" the entire team (all players were traded or released) and kept the coach. The team replaced Blitman after an 18-30 start with Bob Bass. Bass was able to turn the team around and the Floridians finished fourth in the Eastern Division with a record of 37-47. The Floridians made the playoffs, but lost their series to the Kentucky Colonels 4-2.

For the 1971-1972 season, the Floridians split their home games between Miami and Tampa. They again finished in fourth place in the Eastern Division, with a record of 36-48. Once again the team made the playoffs, and once again they lost their series, this time to the Virginia Squires 4-0.

The Floridians' dreadful attendance for their two home playoff games against the Squires convinced Doyle that the team could not be viable in South Florida. After trying to find a bigger market, he disbanded the franchise in June 1972. Big-time basketball wouldn't return to Florida until the NBA expansion team, the Miami Heat, played their first season in 1988. The Orlando Magic followed a year later.

The Heat wore replicas of the 1970-71 Floridians uniforms for seven dates in 2005-06 as part of the NBA's "Hardwood Classics" program. During these games Heat dancers wore bikinis with white go-go boots like their Floridian predecessors. The Heat would don Floridians replica uniforms again for a period in the 2011-12 season.