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MIAMI -- The last piece of confetti had landed, the Miami Heat championship celebration was officially over and many in the crowd of revelers were starting to make their way to the exits. Players and coaches remained on the stage. They were in no hurry to leave. Every member of the NBA champions stood and watched a giant video board play highlights of Miamis march through the playoffs, from LeBron James MVP-caliber plays on both ends to Ray Allens season-saving 3-pointer in Game 6 of the NBA Finals and countless moments in between. "Its a special group," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "You know what? This season started over nine months ago with that trip to China and we were able to experience so many cool things together in the regular season. But at times, it just seems to be going by so fast." So maybe thats why the Heat arent ready to stop celebrating this title just yet. With an estimated 400,000 people lining the downtown Miami streets, the Heat held their parade and an in-arena rally afterward Monday. James stood atop a double-decker bus with a cigar in his mouth for the parade. Shane Battier blew kisses to the crowd, Dwyane Wade raised three fingers aloft and Chris Andersen flapped his arms in a nod to his "Birdman" moniker. "Its the ultimate," James told Sun Sports, the Heat broadcast partner. "Its the ultimate. This is what I came down here, to be able to have a parade at the end of the year. Im extremely blessed, man. It doesnt get any better than this." Several players held super-soaker squirt guns and sprayed water on fans, confetti dotted the streets, and horns honked from all directions. Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley stood in the front of one bus, while Spoelstra -- his championship cap turned backward -- waved and clapped at fans. "Miami parties better than any city in the world," Spoelstra said. "But it took nine months, nine months of incredible sacrifice, not only by these men right here but everybody in our organization, grinding it out every single day, ups and downs, highs and lows. And to have a culmination like Game 7 in front of all of you here is incredible." Wade said that without the fans, Miami wouldnt have found a way to win the title. "Its humbling. Its very humbling to be here," Wade said, gazing out at the enormous crowd. "I envision a lot of things. I cant say I envisioned this. This parade down Biscayne Boulevard was once a vision by Coach Riley and now weve taken this ride three times. Its special." When Riley got hired by the Heat, he talked at his introductory news conference about his vision of a parade down Biscayne Boulevard. It took Riley until 2006 to deliver on that hope, but now with three parades in eight seasons, the Heat are getting used to these celebrations. "Their names are going to be respected and honoured," Riley said. "And thats all we have. All we have is the name on the front of the shirt, which is the Heat, and the name on the back of the shirt. And thats why we play." Miami became the sixth franchise in NBA history to win consecutive championships, after topping the San Antonio Spurs in this years finals for the third title overall for the Heat franchise, needing a Game 7 to get it done. Wade and Udonis Haslem -- a Miami native who said "this is what its all about" -- are the only players to be part of all three titles, and Wade insisted Monday that the city is going to be his home now for good. "This is my home. Theyve treated me well since Day One," Wade said. "Ill be here for probably the rest of my life in this amazing city. I thank the Miamians for accepting me as one of their own." Miami needed to win Games 6 and 7 of the finals to capture the title, and needed a huge late comeback in Game 6 just to force the ultimate game. Down by five with less than a half-minute left in regulation, James and Ray Allen made 3-pointers -- Allens coming with 5.2 seconds left -- to force overtime, and the Heat ultimately prevailed to get into Game 7. "I have to say that is the biggest shot I ever hit in my career," Allen said. Along the parade route, one vehicle carried a number of uniformed military personnel. The Heat have honoured military members before every home game in Miami for the past several seasons. Police reported no major problems, and bomb- and drug-sniffing dogs were spotted working their way through the crowd. City officials banned fans from carrying backpacks, though several were spotted along the route and some people were searched randomly for security reasons. The huge crowds and parking difficulty did not seem to take away from the fans celebratory mood. "Its the excitement of something that doesnt come around too often, even though weve been lucky to experience it two years in a row," said Heat fan Blake Thames, who made the trip down from Palm Beach County. Some fans began arriving before sunrise Monday, and traffic into downtown was extremely heavy as people hoped to get close enough for a glimpse of the celebration. "It hasnt hit me yet," James said. "This is unbelievable to be a part of such a great franchise and to be able to go back-to-back." Players spent the weekend celebrating. Some are planning to start vacations later this week, while others will remain in South Florida for at least a few more days. "All the fans that were seeing here is who supported us throughout the whole season, man," James said. "This is the least we could do is ride through the city and show our appreciation." ------ Associated Press Writers Jennifer Kay and Kelli Kennedy in Miami contributed to this report. Cheap Bengals Jerseys . 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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Though he wasnt in a New England Patriots uniform, Tom Brady found a way to throw some touchdown passes this weekend.Brady and Michigan?coach Jim Harbaugh played catch together Saturday afternoon as the fourth-ranked Wolverines warmed up around the two former Wolverines quarterbacks. Brady was visiting his alma mater this weekend as Michigans honorary captain for its afternoon matchup with Colorado.Brady arrived in Ann Arbor on Friday night to speak to the team, but before he met the Wolverines at the hotel, he and his son made a stop at Michigan Stadium to throw a few passes.The QB returned to the stadium around 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon and headed into the Michigan locker room shortly after the team arrived. Harbaugh and Brady lined up about 25 yards from each other and had a spirited game of catch. Harbaugh, true to form, wore cleats and a pair of receiver gloves.After the Wolverines 45-28 victory, Harbaugh called the exchange a thrill.When I look back on my career of playing catch with different people, that was right there with my dad, playing catch with my dad, he said. His pregame talk was outstanding. It was very good, very from the heart. He went through each position and he told them what they were expected to play like ... the guys who wore those uniforms and played that position before.Harbaugh noted that he inittiated the catch.ddddddddddddOf course, he said. Lets play a little catch, Tom. He throws a good ball. That ball almost catches itself the way he throws it.Brady hasnt been back to a game at Michigan since he played his final game in a maize and blue uniform in 1999. His four-week suspension stemming from the Deflategate punishment opened up his calendar this September, and Harbaugh invited him to spend some of that time with the Michigan team.At least a handful of fans traded in their Michigan colors for Patriots jerseys to welcome one of the schools most successful NFL exports of all time.As part of his duties as honorary captain, Brady gave the team a pregame speech Friday night in its hotel and participated in the coin toss minutes before kickoff. Before Brady joined the teams three captains at midfield, Michigan played a video montage of his highlights while he was a Wolverine.Brady was joined during the coin toss by billionaire video game developer Bobby Kotick and Bill McCartney, a Michigan native and former Wolverine assistant who won a national championship as head coach at Colorado.Brady couldnt bring his Wolverines any luck prior to kickoff, though. The Buffaloes won the coin toss before losing the game.? ' ' '