Let me be clear about something from the outset: this is not intended to troll Miami Heat fans. Yes, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the reputation that Heat fans have for arriving late, leaving early, and showing lukewarm interest from time to time.
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So yes, it would be tempting to present Heat fans filing out in masses, complete with their white shirts with about four minutes left in the final quarter of a key game four, but that is not the point here.
Rather, this visual illustrates the utter dominance of the San Antonio Spurs in Miami these last two games as well as anything else ever could.
When these two teams arrived in Miami, this series felt utterly unpredictable. More importantly, it felt like these two teams were dead even. The buzz among Heat fans had to be palpable as they prepared to cheer on LeBron James and company in pursuit of their third straight title. At that point it would have been difficult to imagine just how beaten down the Heat would be with the series headed back to San Antonio and the Spurs ahead 3-1.
So it was that Heat fans filed out early rather than watch the final four minutes of a 20 point loss for the home team. For that it is hard to blame them. Unfortunately their reputation as a fan base makes us notice just a little more when folks are running for the exits this way, no matter how reasonable it was on this night.