The Miami Heat have had a successful five-year window with their current core led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Ultimately, they have fell short of that elusive NBA title. But with a little luck that is long overdue to finally go their way, the Heat could shock the world once again.
Miami lacks national media respect across majority of the major outlets, and it has been that way since LeBron James’ 2014 free agency departure. No matter how many times this current roster has proven that they are a legitimate contender, it has yet to be enough to truly get the respect they deserve. Winning a title seems to be the only one that could change and a healthy campaign could help make that a reality.
The Heat are coached by one of the greatest this league has ever seen in coach Erik Spoelstra. They also have the winning culture and depth across the roster to make something out of nothing, and it seems like ESPN insider Zach Lowe has acknowledged that.
Zach Lowe speaks on the Miami Heat’s underdog status & being in the same tier as the Indiana Pacers:
“I know everyone’s down on the Heat. Are they going to pull another rabbit out of the hat? Never sleep on the Heat. Jimmy/Bam/Spo, good supporting cast, they belong in the same… pic.twitter.com/myxeh6baUL
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) September 23, 2024
Any sort of media praise, even if it isn’t on a national stage, is better than nothing. And for that praise to come from a highly respected analyst shows a lot about what the Heat have been able to do in recent years. With two trips to the NBA Finals and seconds away from reaching their third in a five-year span, Miami has defied the odds.
Those Finals runs have come with the team sitting at the fifth and eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, respectively. Some could say they were a few injuries away from coming out with a championship title from at least one of those runs. In 2020, they were without then playoff leading scorer in Goran Dragic, along with Bam Adebayo in the bubble Finals against the LA Lakers.
The 2023 featured a hobbled Butler limp his way to another Finals without the services of one of the team’s top scorers in Tyler Herro. They also lost Victor Oladipo in the same first round series to a season-ending knee injury, who proved to be a key role player with his two-way abilities.
At the end of the day, Spoelstra’s no excuses mentality has willed his rosters to reach heights that nobody expected. Miami is coming off a first round exit to their rival Boston Celtics, so it’s only fair for them to not be viewed as contenders anymore. Factor that with Butler’s age and a lot of question marks surrounding certain player’s roles, and it makes sense.
However, the last time the Heat were knocked out of the first round, it was followed up with securing the East’s number one seed. Fortunately for them, this core tends to over-perform the most when media and fans start to count them out. Heat Nation; get ready to embrace the underdog status once again.
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