The Miami Heat went on a surprising run during the 2020 NBA Playoffs. In the Orlando Bubble, the Miami Heat were the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. But after going past the Pacers, upsetting the Bucks, and defeating the Boston Celtics, the Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals.
The Heat were rank outsiders when it came to the playoffs. Most analysts had tipped the Bucks, Celtics, or the 76ers to reach the Finals. But the Heat was going through all the teams and outperforming the entire Eastern Conference.
Much of the Heat’s success was off the back of their rookie stars. The Heat had 3 rookies who stepped up and delivered big time; Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Kendrick Nunn.
Robinson was a revelation during the Bubble. He quickly established himself as one of the premier catch-and-shoot players in the league and was able to provide valuable offensive contribution despite playing behind starting point guard Goran Dragic.
The Heat made it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. But they had to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, led by former Heat star LeBron James in order to win the NBA championship.
Apparently, the Lakers did their best to get under Robinson’s skin. In an interview last year, Robinson revealed that the Lakers bench kept calling him ‘Jimmy Neutron’. This happened primarily because a tweet comparing Robinson to Jimmy Neutron went viral during the NBA’s stint in the Bubble.
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The Lakers proved to be too much for the Miami Heat, as the inexperienced young core wasn’t able to keep up with the veteran core of the Lakers. The series ended in 6 games, during which the Heat pushed the Lakers to their limit.
Robinson didn’t seem to be too upset about it, taking it on the chin and laughing when he told the story later. Robinson did play well with the Heat in the Finals, despite them coming up short. And he gained valuable experience on the biggest stage in basketball.
