The Miami Heat were not the best team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season last year, but as soon as they got to the NBA bubble, things quickly changed. They struggled in their final 8 regular season games, giving others on their roster playing time and finishing the regular season 3-5, but turned it up in the playoffs as they took on the red hot Indiana Pacers in the first-round.
They swept the Pacers 4-0 in the first-round, then almost swept the #1 team in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks, beating them 4-1, then clinched their spot in the 2020 NBA Finals after defeating the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
What made last year’s Miami Heat team so special was because of how well they “spread the wealth” on offense and how everyone on their roster played with a “chip on their shoulder.” Not only was Jimmy Butler criticized before going to the Miami Heat with people saying he was a cancer to any locker room and was not a good teammate, but he absolutely gained the respect of everyone with the way he led this Heat team.
He is absolutely adored by this franchise and the players on it and deserves the respect from everyone covering the NBA for what he did last season. When Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic went down with injuries in the NBA Finals, Jimmy Butler was the one who elevated his game to a whole new level we have not seen from him and looked like one of the best players in the NBA. Without Butler, this Heat team may not have even made the playoffs this year and as a result, deserves all the bad things ever said about him taken back.
This past offseason, the Heat needed to take a step back and figure out not only how they would get back to the NBA Finals this upcoming season, but figure out ways on how to improve their already solid roster. Miami was one of the busiest teams during the offseason in terms of signing current players, as well as free agents to keep this team as a contender in the Eastern Conference.
With some key young players taking on bigger roles this season and with almost the same team as last year, the Miami Heat look like they could be a dangerous team come playoff time once again, but they could look to add some perimeter depth, as they currently rank in the back-half of the NBA in three-point shooting percentage.
Could the Miami Heat potentially look to add a reliable veteran shooter from the Houston Rockets in return for a veteran of their own and a young talent? Let’s take a look at a potential trade between Miami and Houston.
