The Miami Heat are heading to their second NBA Finals in just four years. This season, no one expected the Heat to win the Eastern Conference.
Jimmy Butler was the clear superstar for the Heat during the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Boston Celtics. But players like Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, and Max Strus also played a crucial role. Speaking of Strus, the 27-year-old took a shot at the Celtics for waiving him in 2019.
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Strus averaged 9.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 0.9 APG in the Eastern Conference Finals. Considering the fact that the Celtics didn’t give him a real chance four years ago, it wasn’t a surprise to see his savage shot on Instagram.
But in the Celtics’ defense, they didn’t know he would become the player that he is today. Even the Chicago Bulls failed to see his true potential after signing him for just two games during the 2019-20 NBA season.
Fortunately, Strus signed with the Miami Heat ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season. Since then, Strus is only getting better. The Heat have certainly found a hidden gem in an undrafted player.
The Denver Nuggets Won’t Underestimate The Miami Heat In The NBA Finals
When it comes to choosing favorites for the 2023 NBA Finals, most will side with Nikol Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. After all, the Nuggets have essentially glided past the competition in the Western Conference.
Despite being the heavy favorite to win it all, head coach Michael Malone doesn’t want to make the mistake of underestimating the Heat.
“As I told our team, forget the #8 seed stuff. They beat Milwaukee 4-1, and they had the most wins in the NBA this year. They beat Boston 4-3, and they were up 3-0, team with the second most wins this year. When you get to the NBA Finals, it’s not about seeding anymore. And for those that are thinking this is going to be an easy series, I don’t even know what to say to you people. This is going to be the biggest challenge of our lives. It’s the NBA Finals.”
It’s good to see Malone showing respect to the Heat ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The Heat may have finished the regular season as the eighth seed, but they have proven their true potential throughout the playoffs. If Jimmy Butler leads the Heat to this year’s NBA Championship, it will be regarded as one of the toughest roads to becoming champions of the league.
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