Heat keep it all in perspective
The Heat were disappointed after losing the NBA Finals to the Nuggets, but they fully realize they lost to a better team.
After stunning the Celtics, including winning Game 7 at TD Garden, the Heat came up well short against the
Nuggets, losing in five. The players who flourished against the Celtics plateaued, and standout Jimmy Butler had a subpar Finals.
The Heat knew they would need to be impeccable to win the series, but they still knocked off the Bucks, Knicks, and Celtics, all higher-seeded teams. What’s more, after losing their first play-in game to the Hawks, the Heat trailed the Bulls with six minutes left in the fourth quarter before rallying, leading to their remarkable playoff run.
“We would have liked to be able to climb the mountaintop and be able to get that final win,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But I think this is a team that a lot of people can relate to. If you ever felt that you were dismissed or felt that you were made to feel less than. We had a lot of people in our locker room that probably have had that, and there’s probably a lot of people out there, you know, that have felt that at some time or another.”
A handful of players who contributed to the Heat run may not return.
Gabe Vincent, who proved he was a starting-caliber point guard, is a free agent, as is 3-point specialist Max
Strus. Kyle Lowry, 37, has one year and $30 million left on his contract and could be traded in the offseason.
Duncan Robinson and even Tyler Herro could be part of a bigger trade for a superstar. The Heat realize that Butler and Bam Adebayo need help, and Miami
has always been a franchise consumed with chasing stars.
“The way this team handled setbacks and adversity, you know, to develop a collective grit and perseverance, I mentioned this before that hopefully these are lessons that will transcend this beautiful game, that hopefully these are lessons that we can pass along to our children,” Spoelstra said. “That even though it is sport, that you can learn lessons of life from this game, that you can persevere, that you can handle what people may view as mini-failures along the way and become stronger from it and to be able to overcome things and find beautiful things on the other side of that.
“Now, obviously, we didn’t get the final win, but sometimes that’s true in sport and also in life, that you don’t always get what you want. But there’s no regret from our side. Everybody, staff, players alike in the locker room, put themselves out there and put themselves into the team, whatever was best for the team. And the tough pill to swallow is it just wasn’t good enough. We ran up against a team that was just better than us in this series.
“You have to tip your hat to them. I said it, but they are one hell of a basketball team. They play the right way, they compete, they are well coached, and they have a strong culture. So for this season, they deserve this.”
Spoelstra likely knew Herro would not play in the Finals because of a broken hand sustained in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Bucks.
The fourth-year guard worked himself into good enough condition for Game 5, but Spoelstra thought it unfair to throw Herro into a must-win after being off for so long.
“It’s just a really tough call and I’ll probably have to wrestle with that all summer,” Spoelstra said. “I’ve never been in an experience like this. I just know that the way this game was played is totally different than — you can’t even compare it. It’s another sport in the regular season.
“But first round, this is totally different, the way this game was played. Second round, totally different. Even the conference finals, the physicality and the way that they play, and I think they should have. This is what it should be about, is let the players decide. But that’s the hardest-played, most-physical competition you can have, and that would be a tough thing for a guy that’s been out for two months that hasn’t had any kind of ramp up. But that won’t save me from thinking about that for the next few weeks.”
Butler, who has become a popular figure in Miami by leading the Heat to two NBA Finals in the last four years, maintains the franchise will win a championship in the post-LeBron James/Dwyane Wade era.
“It’s been great. I’ve had some hell of a teammates come through and compete with me and give us the opportunity to win a championship, which I still believe, with everything in me, that we will do as a team here, as an organization, as a city in Miami,” Butler said. “The four years have been great. It’s always great to be wanted and loved and appreciated. I don’t think that’s going to change. But I’m grateful, man, that we made it here. Came up short, but
I’m blessed. I’m fortunate.”
Adebayo, who has emerged one of league’s more versatile centers and led the Heat by averaging 21.8 points and 12.4 rebounds in the Finals, marveled at the team’s ability to turn what was a disappointing regular season into an Eastern Conference championship.
“It was a whirlwind because going into this season, we expected — obviously we didn’t get off to a great start in the beginning of the season, and then go through adversity, guys being out, playing with eight guys, still trying to find a way, missing shots, everybody counting us out,” Adebayo said. “You lose the first play-in game, then win the second one, and you go on an unbelievable run to the Finals. The only thing I can say is, man, they need to put more respect on undrafted players. They are still basketball players at the end of the day, and obviously you’ve seen, they can take you there.
“So for me, it was a joy to get this far and have these type of guys, undrafted, fighting to make a name for themselves. And they fought to the Finals. Came up short, but I don’t care what anybody says, you can never count these guys out.”
Layups
The Wizards are making the not-sodifficult decision to rebuild, meaning centerpiece Bradley Beal, who has a notrade clause in his maximum contract, could be dealt if he approves. The Wizards have been languishing for years and team president Michael Winger, who was hired last month, has to determine whether a complete overhaul will be the fastest way to being a perennial playoff team in the Eastern Conference. It’s not that the Wizards have done everything wrong, it’s just that they’ve been mired in mediocrity, with no standout draft picks, no superstars besides Beal, and a fan base that’s apathetic because the Wizards have not reached the conference finals since 1979. Beal signed a maximum contract last summer, and he will potentially make $57 million in the final year of that contract in 2026-27. Beal has been injured often in recent years, and the Wizards haven’t won more than 35 games in the last five seasons. Not only is Beal likely on the block, but forward
Kristaps Porzingis has a player option on his contract for $36 million, while
Kyle Kuzma is expected to opt out of his deal and become a free agent. The Wizards also haven’t drafted well, with Corey Kispert, Johnny Davis, and Deni Avdija being considered nothing more than role players. Washington could be buoyed by multiple draft picks in a deal for Beal and an expiring contract, and a deal could come soon with the draft Thursday . . . The Pelicans made the controversial move of parting ways with assistant coach Teresa Weatherspoon, a Hall of Famer as a player, who had been popular in the front office . . . New Orleans is seriously considering the future of former No. 1 overall pick
Zion Williamson, who not only has missed considerable time with injuries over the last three years but had a messy social media episode with a former companion after announcing his girlfriend is pregnant. Whether Williamson is a cornerstone and can be relied upon to return to form is a serious question within the organization. The Pelicans have enough talent to compete in the Western Conference, if healthy, but that hasn’t often been the case the last few years. General manager David Griffin is considering making a deal that would net the Pelicans a top-three pick as a way of starting over. The Hornets, who are in desperate need of star power, could be interested in Williamson, who is a South Carolina native.