A lot of people would say that the Miami Heat weren't even supposed to make it to the 2023 NBA Finals.
After all, even though they disintegrated the Milwaukee Bucks' defense while led by six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, they also managed to overcome a talented Boston Celtics duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Widely considered to be the two best teams in the Eastern Conference perhaps even today, the Heat's infamous grit, determination, and defense were as integral to their ability to overcome the odds as Butler's two-way dominance or even untimely injuries to their opponents.
To that point, the Heat were unable to dodge the injury bug themselves, with Butler suffering an ankle sprain against the New York Knicks in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals that seemed to affect his play for the rest of the postseason. Caleb Martin, an athletic and defensive-minded forward that made a number of outstanding plays for Miami throughout the postseason, found himself fighting through both injury and illness.
Gabe Vincent, who left the Heat for the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason, wasn't spared either.
Even before then, key perimeter players like shooting guard Tyler Herro and point guard Kyle Lowry dealt with significant injuries. Herro's broken hand forcing him out of the playoffs and Lowry's ailing knee forcing him to the bench.
Heat star center Bam Adebayo, speaking to ESPN's Leonard Solms at Basketball Without Borders in South Africa, believes those injuries are ultimately the reason the Heat fell to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals:
“I feel like we just came up short because we had [among the most] injuries in the 2022-23 season. [Through] all those ups and downs throughout the season… I feel like fatigue had a toll.”
Led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets were a formidable opponent throughout the playoffs. However, a healthy Heat team certainly would have made the series more interesting.
Lacking firepower
The biggest boost to the Miami Heat offense that was lacking firepower would have been Tyler Herro, the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year.
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