NFL
By: Kevin Lucas
The Miami Heat are officially headed back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the 3rd time in 4 years after beating the New York Knicks in 6 games. Erik Spoelstra, Jimmy Butler, and company have been on an absolute tear since acquiring the elite two-way forward in the summer of 2019. In this 3rd deep run however, it happens to be one of the more unpredictable runs in NBA history, literally, the Heat are only the 2nd team ever to be a No. 8 seed and reach the Conference Finals, joining the 1999 Knicks squad that made it all the way to the Finals ultimately before falling short to the Spurs in 5 games.
This season the Heat have endured almost everything possible throughout the course of the regular season from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows as they finished the regular season with a record of 44-38. Their offense averaged 109.5 PPG (ranked last) and they shot an abysmal 34.4 % (ranked 24th) from behind the 3-pt arc during the 82-game marathon. With these low-scoring outputs the Heat played in a bevy of tight and contested (aka clutch games) games where they led the league in such games posting a record of 29-22. In the moment those games probably had most Heat fans’ heart rates beating way too fast, but it’s no way the Heat make it this far without embracing those games and enduring the challenges that come with them. To be able to come out with a winning record in such games displayed that this team has the mental toughness, camaraderie, and defensive discipline that most league teams don’t have nowadays due to their youth and therefore inexperience. But that’s just the thing, the regular season with its high and up-tempo style of play is more catered to the young players of the NBA, while the postseason when the game slows down and fouls are harder to come by, is built for the vets of the league with the Heat having plenty of them.
In the midst of these struggles, Bam Adebayo quietly had arguably the best regular season of his young career where he finally averaged north of 20PPG for the first time while also making his 2nd All-Star game. Adebayo has earned the reputation of being one of the most versatile defensive players in the NBA but now his offensive skillset as a scorer more so than as a playmaker is finally rounding into form. Unlike a majority of the league, Bam has made a living shooting those short-roll elbow midrange jumpers out of pick-n-roll situations. With him knocking down these shots at a more consistent rate it makes opposing big men have to guard him more honestly, allowing him opportunities to get to the rim much more easily and effectively. Heat fans worldwide have been clamoring for Adebayo to be more aggressive for years on end…now the next step for the young star is to be more decisive when the ball first touches his hands.
Erik Spoelstra is the mastermind behind the chaos that continuously maximizes the rosters handed down to him year after year and season after season. In their first-round gentlemen’s sweep of Giannis Antetokoumpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, Spoelstra alongside Jimmy Butler put on an absolute clinic that Mike Budenholzer and staff simply could not keep up with. During this run, Spo surpassed multiple legendary NBA head coaches to become 5th (and counting) in all-time playoff wins at 104, all with the Heat. He also is tied at 6th with 2 rings and tied for 3rd in Conference Final appearances with Greg Popovich and Steve Kerr. In his 15 years at the helm of the Miami Heat organization, he has never not once won the prestigious Coach of the Year award. Even without it Erik Spoelstra should be viewed as an all-time great head coach that is only 52 years young and therefore nowhere near close to being done.
We cannot forget to mention the greatness that is Jimmy Butler. The tenacity with which he plays with on both ends of the floor sets the tone for any and every team that he has been a part of. Before joining the Heat in 2019 the NBA world viewed him as a selfish star, when all he truly wanted to do was compete at the highest level for a championship. Fast forward to present-day and Butler has more Conference Final appearances (3) than all of his former teams do in the same timespan since 2019. Whether it was carrying an 8th-seeded Bulls roster to a 2-0 series lead over the 1-seeded Celtics in 2017 or getting the Minnesota Timberwolves back to the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons (at the time) in 2018. Butler should have always been viewed as a winning player even though he doesn’t have the championship ring to fully back up that sentiment. The Heat have asked him to do an extraordinary amount of things since arriving almost 4 years ago but this superstar has come through in every single way possible for them with more opportunities on the horizon to finally hoist that coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. Put some respect on the junkyard dawg that is Jimmy Buckets aka Jimmy Butler.
With the Conference Finals awaiting, the Heat will meet their rival Boston Celtics for the 3rd time since the 2020 bubble matchup. In that same series, the Heat beat the Celtics in 6 games with Brad Stevens at the helm. Then last year in the 2021-22 season, the Celtics led by Ime Udoka got their revenge by beating the Heat on their home floor in Miami in a brutal 7-game series. This time around will easily be the least predictable battle between these two Eastern Conference giants. As fans, we should expect a full 12-round heavyweight bout. Win or lose the Miami Heat are one of the best-run sports organizations in the world and it is all due to the Godfather Pat Riley having faith in himself and his team. #Heatin7
