Coming off of a surprise finals appearance in the bubble in 2020, the Miami Heat were looking to revisit the finals in 2021. Throughout the year, however, they struggled mightily, going 40-32 and entering the NBA Playoffs as a six-seed facing the Milwaukee Bucks. The series was, well, brief. Milwaukee dominated the Heat, winning the series convincingly in just four games.
We all know what followed after that, the Bucks went on to face the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals in a hotly-contested series, winning in six games. While the Bucks had reached the highest of highs, Miami experienced the other side of the coin. The season was a complete and utter failure for the Heat. Despite sky-high expectations, they were an enormous disappointment.
After that dissatisfying season, Pat Riley’s team was destined for a retooling, and significant changes were made. On August 2nd, a day that was jam-packed with deals in the league, the Heat pulled off a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors to acquire six-time NBA All-Star Point Guard Kyle Lowry. In the trade, they gave up veteran guard Goran Dragic and young forward Precious Achiuwa.
The move granted Miami a veteran with Finals experience and stingy defense to help lead a young team. The next move the Heat made was to sign a top role player in PJ Tucker. Tucker was a crucial piece to Milwaukee’s championship run, as he provided defense and leadership off the bench. Finally, Miami brought in Markeiff Morris on a veteran’s minimum to provide a veteran presence off the bench. Morris had spent the previous season with the Los Angeles Lakers, who had also suffered a disappointing season, losing to the Suns in the first round after coming off of a championship season. These moves, along with bringing back much of Miami’s core such as Duncan Robinson and Victor Oladipo, gave the Heat a new chance to compete in the upcoming season.
Entering the year, Miami was projected by many to be an upper-tier Eastern Conference team with their new additions. But the spotlight was mainly directed elsewhere, as the media paid far more attention to teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Milwaukee Bucks. Miami started the year off red hot, going 6-1 and out-scoring opposing teams by 117 points. Throughout the season, Miami was consistently a top three team in the east, and towards the end they really lowered the throttle, holding position as the top seed since late February. Despite all this, those around the league continued to doubt the Heat’s potential.
After winning 53 games and earning the top spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, critics have continued to leave Miami out of championship conversations, thus painting them as the underdogs. The team is headlined by All-Star Jimmy Butler, defensive menace Bam Adebayo, playmaking genius Kyle Lowry, and perhaps their most impactful player, Tyler Herro. Herro has been phenomenal off the bench this season, putting up 20.7 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4 RPG on 44.7% field goal shooting. These statistics and his stellar play led him to win this year’s Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Honestly, it was a contest he had sewed up since around January. Miami’s lineup of stars, as well as their tremendous depth and “next man up” mentality has allowed them to become a very successful team. Miami readily handled the Atlanta Hawks in a measly five games in the first round, and are now battling in a series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers are led by MVP hopeful Joel Embiid, future hall-of-famer James Harden, and young star Tyrese Maxey. The Heat are currently up (2-0) in the series after a masterful performance from Butler, putting up 22 points and 12 rebounds in Game Two, securing a 119-103 victory. They are looking to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals to take on the Boston Celtics or the Milwaukee Bucks.
This team has been stingy with their opponents and unselfish with their teammates all year, while ignoring the critics. The Miami Heat have all the tools to secure their fourth championship trophy and have all of Dade County supporting them. The question is, can they finish the job?
