When you look across the league, there are stars in almost every corner of the country. In Miami, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo certainly have the talent of a top-tier player, but their slow and methodical playstyle doesn’t appeal to everyone and it can be truly ugly to watch at times.
But after three Conference Finals appearances over the past four years, the Miami Heat have more than enough evidence to show that their formula works and they don’t care what anyone else thinks.
“What we’ve done in the last four years – with people saying, ‘That duo can’t get it done. The duo is not this; they’re not entertaining.’ –we win at the end of the day.”
Since Butler and Bam teamed up four years ago, the Heat have the most playoff wins out of any team and only a fool would count them out heading into the 2023-24 campaign.
But after letting Damian Lillard slip to the Bucks and losing several key role players in free agency, it’s fair to say that Miami is weakened in some sense and they will be playing as the underdogs once again despite their playoff success.
Butler Makes Bold Promise On 2024 Postseason
Last season was a strange one for the Heat. For months throughout the regular season, they struggled to find consistency and hobbled into the play-in tournament with a measly 44-38 record. Yet, somehow, the Heat made the NBA Finals anyway after pulling off series wins against the Bucks, Knicks, and Boston Celtics.
After losing the Damian Lillard sweepstakes this summer, the expectation is for Miami to fall back as a major player in the East, but Jimmy Butler continues to hold ambitious goals.
“I realize that I need my teammates to win, and I’ll always rely on my teammates and I’ll always be grateful for my teammates and I’ll always use my teammates to make sure we win games. But as far as being the best basketball player in the world goes? One-on-one? I’m taking my chances,” Butler claimed.
With Butler, Bam, and a healthy Tyler Herro, it’s certainly possible for the Heat to find a way to keep their momentum going from last season — but it definitely won’t be easy considering how much better their top competitors got.
The Odds Are Stacked Against Miami
The infamous ‘Heat culture’ has worked miracles for the Heat in the past, but the element of surprise is over now, heading into the new season. No matter how the next few months pan out for Miami, the competition will be ready to give them their best and it will be up to 34-year-old Jimmy Butler to channel his inner Michael Jordan as he did against the Bucks and Knicks in the Eastern Conference playoffs. That’s not to mention that their biggest flaws from the last campaign, especially offensively, remain unaddressed heading into the new season.
Regardless of what happens next, with much of the main core now nearing their late 30s, the window is closing for this version of the Heat. If they don’t capitalize on their star power now, then they could lose their best chance to win a ring with this group. For now, confidence is strong in South Beach, but things could go wrong very quickly if Bam, Jimmy, or anyone else in the rotation suffers any kind of setback.
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