The Miami Heat were comfortably dispatched out of the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. This wound up being the most lopsided Playoff series in NBA history, as the Cavaliers outscored the Heat by 122 points over the series, with Game 4 being a 55-point deficit on its own.
The Heat might not have believed in themselves to win as the No. 8 seed (despite them doing the same in 2023), but they did have players who exuded that calm confidence. First-time All-Star Tyler Herro was one of them, who proudly stated after the Heat’s 87-124 Game 3 loss, that they would do anything to avoid getting swept.
“We’re not going out 4-0.”
"We're not going out 4-0"
Tyler Herro on Miami's mindset after Game 3 pic.twitter.com/VErxcijqps
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 26, 2025
Unfortunately for Herro, that is exactly what happened. It wasn’t even close, as the Cavaliers won Game 4 138-83 with a frenetic pace that the Heat simply couldn’t match. They were better in the second half, but that’s not saying much, as they were still outscored by 16 points over that stretch.
Herro averaged 23.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists this season for the Heat. He took a huge step up during Jimmy Butler’s absence during the regular season, but it seems Herro needs more polishing. He is a talented field general on the court, but his failure to adapt to Miami in the post-Butler trade was a big reason for the team’s struggles.
Herro put up a dreadful four points (1-10 FG) in this game, plummeting his series average to 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
Despite his evolution, he still might need time to master Playoff basketball, which can’t happen without reps. Although the 122-point difference over four games is a dark mark on his legacy, it might have been the perfect fire to sharpen Herro as a sword for a future season.
Bam Adebayo couldn’t do much either, putting up 13 points (6-13 FG) and 12 rebounds. He averaged 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over this season, and, similar to Herro, has looked noticeably worse since Butler’s departure.
However, Adebayo’s scoring evolution will continue to excite fans with the hopes that he will finally evolve into a true leader.
