The Miami Heat have sneakily slipped into the no. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Despite this, Miami has somewhat flown under the radar this season. Much of the attention has been on the star-studded Brooklyn Nets and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. Even the Chicago Bulls, which hold the top seed in the East and are just a game above the Heat, are getting more of the spotlight.
With that said, Miami deserves much more love than they are getting as real contenders in the East. Here are the biggest reasons why the Heat are the move serious threats to Brooklyn and Milwaukee's title aspirations.
Miami is riding the momentum of a 4-game winning streak. They have also won 13 of their last 17 games, which is the best winning percentage in the NBA over this stretch.
Their offense has been humming since this run started on December 8th. They have been the best 3-point shooting team, nailing their triples at a 41.1% clip. Miami has also been 2nd in offensive rating (116.2), 2nd in effective field goal percentage (55.8%), and 3rd in true shooting percentage (59.0%).
On the other side of the floor, they've been 8th in defensive rating, 7th in opposing field goal percentage, and 5th in points allowed over this stretch. Likewise, Miami has been magnificent in keeping their opponents off the glass, being 1st in opponent's rebounds.
Impressively, Miami is doing this despite having many of their key players going in and out of the lineup. In particular, Bam Adebayo has been sidelined since December 1st after getting thumb surgery; yes, Miami went on their 13-4 stretch without their All-Star big man. Jimmy Butler has also been dealing with varying injuries throughout the season. The 5-time All-Star has appeared in just in 24 of Miami's 42 games so far.
Sure, the entire league has dealt with injuries and COVID throughout the season. But the Heat have done a great job maintaining their elite level of play even without their top players.
The Heat have somehow been able to fill in for the absence of, not just their stars, but their other rotation players as well. They've been able to turn guys such as Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, and Omer Yurtseven, among others, into serviceable NBA players. This speaks volumes of how the renowned Heat culture translates up and down the roster, from 1-through-15.
Just imagine if Miami is finally healthy and whole with Adebayo and Butler leading this hungry pack. They are already on the verge of claiming the no. 1 seed. Yet, this still doesn't look like their top form.
Kyle Lowry has proven to be an enormous offseason signing due to his steady playmaking and veteran leadership. Tyler Herro is emerging as their super scorer off the bench. Meanwhile, when healthy, Butler is playing at an MVP level. The looming return of their defensive anchor Bam Adebayo should only boost their defense and turn them into a force on both ends of the floor. And as noted, the “others” have proven to be reliable contributors, which adds to their depth come playoff time.
The Nets, Bucks, and Bulls have gotten much of the thunder throughout the season so far. But Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat could very well spoil the party for these three championship hopefuls in May.
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