The injury bug has arrived at the wrong time for the Miami Heat. After Game 1, injuries sustained to Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo kept them on the sidelines for Game 2.
The bad news is, the Heat dropped both of their first two games and no face an 0-2 hole heading into tonight.
The good news, however, is that they accidentally made some history with the starting lineup they threw out on Friday. Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, and Meyers Leonard became just the third time three or more white players have been in a starting lineup in the Finals since 1998 — when the Utah Jazz featured a crew that included John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek, Adam Keefe, Greg Foster, and Karl Malone.
It’s a pretty random stat that doesn’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but it is proof that being good at the game of basketball is not dependant on skin color. For the Heat, it also shows how deep their roster goes. Even in spite of injuries, they’ve got multiple guys on the rotation ready to step up and produce on the biggest stage.
20-year-old rookie Tyler Herro, for example, has been a huge piece to this team, averaging 13.5 points as one of the team’s best pure scorers. Duncan Robinson, who was picked up by Miami after going undrafted, has become an extremely valuable shooter and floor spacer. The 7-foot Meyers Leonard is the perfect modern-day big man who can protect the glass and grab offensive rebounds.
Add them alongside Butler, Bam, Dragic, Crowder, and Iguodala, and you’ve got one seriously talented squad.
And as interesting as their recent “milestone” is, they’ve got much bigger goals in mind, especially in the 2020 Finals. We’ll see if their collective talent can swing things in their favor.
