Not to overemphasize one game, but it was a snapshot of who Butler is as a player. And let’s not forget his late turnover, passing right into the hands of Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 27 seconds left. He shot 3-for-8 in the quarter and was a minus-6. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Butler asserted himself for 13 points on a couple 3-pointers and a flurry of free throws. Miami’s heavy lifting was being done by Bam Adebayo (20 points) and the Miami bench (22 more). Through three quarters, Butler had taken only 10 shots and made two. It never was more evident than in Denver’s clinching Game 5 victory. But plenty of NBA observers have contended this for a while: Butler cannot be the best player on an NBA championship team. This might be heresy to those wowed by Jimmy Butler’s work in the first round against the Bucks (37.6 ppg) or who have bought into the “Playoff Jimmy” mystique forged previously in the Orlando bubble. In general, though, here are three areas Miami must address if it wants to be the team wearing goggles in 2024: Miami’s hefty payroll and the new collective bargaining agreement, however, will constrain a lot of those ambitions. Recalling the Biscayne Bay glamour shots they’ve seen on playoff telecasts since mid-April and the zero state tax rate, such players could step in to plug some holes. That Heat team got outscored across 82 games, ranked 25th in offensive rating (112.3 points per 100 possessions), and finished three spots from the bottom in 3-point accuracy.įortunately for Miami and its fans, recency bias is powerful, so NBA free agents might be looking at south Florida with fresh eyes. The Heat were losing to Chicago with three minutes left in their second Play-In game before their vaunted #HeatCulture kicked in. The Heat got so much attention for excelling with its bevy of undrafted players, including four heavy contributors (Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent), that coach Eric Spoelstra grew weary of the undrafted label.īut Miami also was distracted underachievers in the regular season, limited by injuries, and uninspired by the regular-season schedule, apparently out with the “South Beach Flu” for much of October to April. Rivers – to see that Miami was two different patients over the totality of its 2022-23 season.įreshest in our minds are the plucky overachievers who scrapped and clawed their way from a narrow Play-In chance all the way to the Finals, knocking off three of the Eastern Conference’s top four seeds in the process. You don’t have to be a physician – or even a Doc in NBA terms like Mr. That’s the first challenge this summer for the Miami Heat. And it’s hard to diagnose a problem when you don’t really know the patient. While the Heat exceeded expectations in the playoffs, they will likely need to upgrade their roster to get back to the Finals next season.īefore the prescription, you need a diagnosis.
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