Heat President Pat Riley Files For “3-Peat” Trademark

Pat Riley has filed for a "3-Peat' trademark as the Miami Heat continue play in the conference finals

The Miami Heat are only in the conference finals but team president Pat Riley is thinking ahead as he filed for a trademark on the term "3-Peat" per ESPN.

Riley already has filed for trademarks on the past on three other variations of the phrase according to the report. Those are "Three-Peat", "3Peat" and "ThreePeat" with the first coming way back in 1988.

At the time, Riley filed for the trademark due to his Los Angeles Lakers being on the verge of the accomplishment. They would not complete the trifecta however.

The report states that the trademark was not necessary in terms of the team's championship rings. Filing for the trademark is an important step however ahead of potential retail sales, should the Heat complete the feat.

Winning three or more titles in a row is a rarity in all of the major professional sports. It's happened only five times in NBA history.

The last NBA team to accomplish it was the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02. Prior to that, the Chicago Bulls did it from 1996-98. That was the second time the Bulls won three in a row in a decade. The Michael Jordan led team also accomplished it from 1991-93.

A "Three-Peat" is one thing but the Boston Celtics from 1959-66 completed an "Eight-Peat" winning eight consecutive titles. That was also the last time that an NBA team won at least three titles in a row before the aforementioned Bulls in 1991.

The Heat will continue their quest for a third straight ring when they play game three against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. The best-of-seven series is tied at one with the winner going to the NBA Finals. Their opponent will be either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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