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I did something this week I haven’t been able to do in some time.

I cheered.

I actually got off the couch, pumped my fists in the air and got excited.

It happened early Wednesday morning as Dwyane Wade threw the ball in the air and the Miami Heat captured its first NBA Championship.

I never realized how much I missed cheering.

In my old position at the Daily News, I attended hundreds of sporting events a year and never once put my hands together. It wasn’t allowed. Sometimes, I would put both hands on my head and pull because the paper’s deadline hit with four minutes left in a game.

But in many arenas they’d make an announcement before the game: “This is a working press box and cheering is prohibited.” And except at the Orange Bowl during a Miami Hurricanes game, this rule was held in high regard. To be fair to the fair-weather Cane media supporters, they also booed the “U” when they played poorly.

Now in my new position there isn’t much to cheer about.

Bonita Springs City Council meetings that last eight hours certainly aren’t worthy of applause.

So as I stood and yelped some nonsense at the top of my lungs, which amazingly my wife slept through, I realized that it was nice to have something to cheer about.

For the record, I’m not a Heat fan.

But the Heat’s rise is a refreshing story. In a sports landscape filled with steroid cheaters and wife beaters, it was nice to have a championship not tainted by tabloid stories.

Miami exemplified the true sense of a team. In basketball’s billion-dollar business, you saw the love of the game and the love of teammates prevail.

I cheered for Pat Riley. Sure he looked a bit egotistical when he took over the reins from Stan Van Gundy after the start of the season. But Riley has suffered through many long years on South Beach — just look at his hair. Yet, he remained the consummate motivator. He proved it again by bringing only one set of clothes with two games remaining.

I cheered for Wade. At 24, he’s become a humble superstar who has never been associated with a single negative rumor.

He is the next Michael Jordan.

I cheered for Alonzo Mourning. He’s an inspiration to everyone. In the middle of the celebration, he thanked his cousin for donating his kidney and keeping him alive.

I especially cheered for Shaquille O’Neal. He showed he’s bigger than the game. He sacrificed being the star. He showed Kobe Bryant -- enough said.

Who could forget Shaq’s first press conference in Miami after being traded from the Los Angeles Lakers? He pulled up in a semi and promised a championship. Call him a diesel-fueled prophet.

Back then, I believed him. I even penned a column the day after the trade saying Miami would win a championship with Shaq. I remember the negative letters to the editor about the column. And I especially remembered Will Graves, the former OC, which is short for the former other columnist, writing the opposite and criticizing the trade.

OK, I admit not all the hollering early Wednesday morning had to do with the basketball game. But boy it feels good to cheer again.

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E-mail Tom Hanson at tahanson@bonitanews.com.