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Heat fans revel in the joy of a victory party

By Adam Beasley, McClatchy Newspapers –

MIAMI — Cheer during the game. Dance during the break. Lubricate throughout.

Might as well be South Florida’s Finals credo.

(PHOTO: Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) holds the NBA Championship trophy after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida, Thursday, June 21, 2012.)

At the Clevelander on 10th and Ocean in South Beach, the Heat’s potential closeout game was one big party, with wall-to-wall revelers hooting for every Mike Miller 3-pointer, hollering for every LeBron James dunk, and bumping-and-grinding with the paid dancing girls.

Nary a table (or even a nook at the bar) could be had at the Clevelander on Thursday night, setting a celebratory mood long before the game even started, let alone was decided.

Not even the $150 minimum per table could put a damper on this crowd. And the clientele was a snapshot of South Beach in general – a little Miami, a lot from beyond.

Xavier Valles, a 24-year-old grad student at Barry, is a hometown kid, and held down two tables with his friends, including Kristina Norton, a visitor from West Texas.

“Oh, this is a lot of fun,” Valles said pre-game. “And it’ll be even more fun if they win.”

A few feet away, Camille Peressini and her fellow bachelorettes were more focused on their shared drink – a massive, technicolored fruit concoction aptly named a “Big Boy.”

They can be excused for their ignorance. They’re all from overseas, and are just coincidentally in town for the biggest party nights of the year.

Across the bay, in Coconut Grove, the streets surrounding Cocowalk were packed. And the fans honest.

“I jumped on the bandwagon,” said George Garcia, 39, a Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer department employee.

Neighboring eateries — Mr. Moe’s and Lulu’s — were full, too. And at Fat Tuesday, the screams resonated throughout Cocowalk. It was standing room only and a hand stamp was needed for entry beyond the gated area. Fans banged their forks against cocktail glasses, creating an on-the-spot mini dance marathon at halftime.

Further west, a pair of Spanish-radio stations took over Bird Road outside La Carreta, with speakers blasting the game.

The Vazquez family passed around little cups of cafecito while they watched the game under the Mix 98.3 FM tent as Spanish-language broadcasters boomed the play by play on nearby speakers.

“My kids were driving me crazy at home so I brought them here” said mother Gladys, a legal assistant. “It’s like a known Miami place whenever something big happens.”

“We came last time the Heat won in 2006 with our pots and pans,” said Stephanie, 20. “I kinda messed them up though so my mom didn’t let me bring them this time.”

“I had I buy new pots!” said Gladys laughing. All family members — including 40-year-old dad Robert, Edwin, 15 and Jasmine, 16, — agreed that LeBron was their favorite player. When asked how late little Nikita, 6, could stay out, Gladys said, “If the Heat win today, she can stay out all night.”

At the County of Fade barbershop in Hialeah, on the corner of W. 49th Street and 12th Avenue, the banging of pots and pans got started in the third quarter. Six-year old Destiny Montesdeoca waved maracas and yelled, “Let’s go Heat!” From the second floor balcony of her uncle’s business.

“We’re ecstatic,” said Jonathan Farinas, 20, a student at Miami Dade College.

Farinas was watching the game with friends at the barbershop. The group had been planning the watch party for weeks. The flashing sign outside the business proclaimed, “Champs.”

——— —

Miami Herald writers Anna Edgerton, Anthony Cave, Kathleen McGrory and Christina Veiga contributed to this report.

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