Any other club in the league would expect to regress after losing two of its great players from their NBA Finals squad and substituting another mix of rookies and leftovers for those minutes.
But we’re talking about the Miami Heat, and they always manage to find a way. They had to adjust to new players and injuries during the first half of the season; they have tested 31 starting lineups, which is more than the Celtics and Bucks have combined for this year.
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They have improved over the course of the unrest compared to previous year. At this stage of the season, their 35-29 record is better than their 33-31 record from the previous one. Furthermore, they have demonstrated over the years that they are unaffected by their playoff seeding. They’ll manage to create a stir throughout the playoffs. They made history last year by being the first No. 8 seed to make it to the NBA Finals since 1999.
Eighth, Seventh, Sixth, 5-4-3-2-1, it doesn’t matter. Earlier this month, Butler said to Brady Hawk of Five Reasons Sports, “We don’t care.”
By the end of the season, they might be as high as fourth in the East, where they are presently ranked ninth. That is conceivable given their 11-6 record since January 31 and their second-easiest strength of schedule still to play.
The fact that Jimmy Butler is rekindling his fire after a quiet start to the season is even more concerning for the rest of the NBA. Playoff Jimmy has the ability to terrorize every club in the league. Here’s how, at 34 years old, he’s still regarded as one of the league’s top performers
