The Miami Heat re-established their dominance in the NBA this season. The organization had a mini-dynasty in the early 2010s, as they won two titles and made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances between 2010-2014 during the “Big 3” era led by Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Following the departure of James in 2014, the franchise retooled with Wade (who briefly left the team in 2016 before returning a year and a half later), Bosh, and solid trade/free agent acquisitions such as Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside, James Johnson, etc.
Despite putting a competitive product on the floor between 2014-2019, the team wasn’t able to reach the upper echelon of the NBA (partly due to unfortunate circumstances including Bosh having to retire prematurely in 2017 due to blood clots). However, the fortunes of the Heat changed in the summer of 2019, as they brought in small forward Jimmy Butler, a three-time All-NBA selection, via a sign and trade with the Philadelphia 76ers (the Los Angeles Clippers, and Portland Trail Blazers were also involved). Miami had a solid regular season, finishing with a 42-29 record, good enough to attain the fifth seed in the eastern conference. In the playoffs, the Heat turned up their game to another level. The Heat disposed of the Indiana Pacers in a four-game sweep before upsetting the number one seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the second round 4-1. The Heat then faced the Boston Celtics and their star-filled roster (ie. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, etc.). The Heat outplayed and outcoached the Celtics, defeating them 4-2 to reach the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers (ironically enough, led by Lebron James). The Heat fought and scrapped, but Lebron and Anthony Davis ultimately were too much for the Heat to handle, as the Heat lost the series 4-2. Going forward, however, the Heat should remain a championship contender for a variety of reasons.
1) Landscape of the Eastern Conference
First, I will concede that next year Miami will have to deal with travel and playing teams in opposing arenas, which they did not have to deal with in the NBA’s bubble arrangement this year. At any rate, their eastern conference competition is largely beatable. The 76ers underachieved greatly this season in spite of their loaded roster, and questions remain about the fit of their star duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons (due to the fact that Simmons’ lack of outside shooting allows defenders to swarm the paint against the 7-foot Embiid). The Toronto Raptors, the 2019 NBA champions, are a talented squad led by Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam, but they are not invincible like some of the champions of the past (ie the Warriors during the Kevin Durant era). The team already proved they could beat the Celtics and Bucks (who are also dealing with the uncertainty of superstar Giannis Antetokoumnpo’s looming free agency after 2021). The wild card in all of this is the Brooklyn Nets, who could be a title contender with the return to health of superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving
2)Roster
The Heat have a talented roster with a nice mix of veterans and youth. Jimmy Butler is a superstar, a tremendous player on both ends of the floor, who is still in his prime. 23-year old center Bam Adebayo had an expanded role this season after splitting minutes his first couple of seasons with bigs such as Hassan Whiteside (traded to Portland) and Kelly Olynyk. Adebayo made his first all-star team this season. He is a great all-around player who can score, facilitate, and is an excellent defender who can not only protect the rim but switch onto quicker players as well. Guard Tyler Herro, after a solid rookie season, was one of the breakout stars of the playoffs, averaging 16 points per game and becoming the youngest player ever to start in the NBA Finals. He is an excellent scorer from anywhere on the court, and is only scratching the surface of his potential. 26-year old forward Duncan Robinson shot a blazing 44 percent from 3-point range this season, good enough for third in the NBA in terms of percentage. Guard Kendrick Nunn had an excellent rookie season, making the All-Rookie team. If the Heat wanted to be really aggressive, they could trade some combination of their young talent for another star to play with Butler. One name could be Pacers star Victor Oladipo, who has been linked to the Heat in the past, and who could leverage a trade out of Indiana with his 2021 free agency on the horizon. As far as veterans besides Butler, the Heat still have swingman Andre Iguodala under contract for next season. The 36-year old is still an excellent defender at this stage of his career and has a wealth of wisdom between not only his tenure in the NBA but having made the Finals six seasons in a row (between his time with the Warriors and Heat). Finally, the Heat are expected to re-sign ageless point guard Goran Dragic. Dragic has been with the Heat since 2015, making him the second longest-tenured player on the team (behind Heat icon Udonis Haslem). He had a superb postseason run, and showed outstanding toughness in returning at the end of the Finals from a torn plantar fascia in his foot in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
3) Management
The Heat have excellent management in terms of their coaching and front office. Erik Spoelstra, Miami’s head coach, is one of the best coaches in the business. Spoelstra, in the post-LeBron era, always managed to keep the Heat in playoff contention (including pushing the Raptors to seven games in the 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinals), despite injuries, roster limitations, etc. To a man, former and current Heat players rave about Spoelstra. Dwyane Wade, a future hall of famer, told the Miami Herald in September, “He will not get enough credit for the Big 3 era because people think if you put talent together, you’re just going to win. That is not true. We had an unbelievable general to lead us to those championships and the success we had, and he’s continuing it…He has shown with multiple teams how great of a coach he is. He’s a great coach, man. He won’t get the respect from the outside. But from all of us who really know, he got it.”Goran Dragic told the Miami Herald, “I think the thing that fascinates me is how he can put all of these different pieces together and make the team function.” He later added, “He’s really an underrated coach. One of the best coaches in this league…” Finally, the Heat have Pat Riley as their President. Riley, already a Hall of Fame coach, has worked in that capacity since 1995. He has proven himself to be a shrewd talent evaluator and a great salesman to free agents. He will likely add to the roster with savvy draft picks and/or veteran free agents looking for a ring.
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