The Miami Heat were the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and now find themselves down against the Boston Celtics 3-2 heading into game six of the conference finals. Throughout the playoffs, Miami has looked very good, but they got to play an Atlanta team in the first round that was clearly not on the same level as the team that went to the conference finals last year. In round two, they thrived against a Philadelphia team that was without Joel Embiid for the first two games and was led by James Harden, who clearly is not the same player. This is critical to think about because Miami's first two opponents in the playoffs hid the flaws that Boston is now exposing.
After getting swept in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks last year, Miami retooled in the offseason with two notable additions in Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker. Both definitely fit the culture of the Miami Heat because they are tough players who play hard on both ends. While they were able to have great regular season success and obtain the number one overall seed, their inability to create offense consistently outside of Jimmy Butler is ultimately the main reason they will likely lose this series.
To make matters worse, Miami's offense is already limited and it becomes even more limited when Jimmy Butler does not come out aggressive every game. Butler is a player with a great offensive skillset in terms of shot creation, but it does not seem like he comes out with a mindset to dominate every game. This is not to say that he does not play hard and give it his all on every possession, but it does not seem like he has a motor to be aggressive and look for his shot every game.
Tyler Herro being out definitely elevates Miami's offensive problems as well, but he is not the caliber of player that can be depended on to carry your team and win playoff games. He won Sixth Man of the Year for a reason and it is because as of right now, he is best coming off the bench and providing offensive sparks when needed. When looking at the Boston Celtics, they have two excellent young wing players in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who are elite offensive players and great defenders as well. If the Heat want to extend their championship window, they need to make a big move in the offseason and try to acquire one more shot creator who can provide similar production to Jimmy Butler.
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