Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are the Heat‘s leading scorers in the postseason, but their ability to get their teammates involved and make sure Miami’s role players stay aggressive has been crucial to the team’s playoff success, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
While Butler and Adebayo have combined to average 48 points per game in the playoffs, Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson have exceeded that figure as a group, averaging a total of 55 points per contest.
“They could easily take every shot they wanted to now, with guys down, guys like Tyler (Herro) that are out,” Martin said of the Heat’s stars. “That just shows the belief they have in us. And asking where the confidence comes from, a lot of it stems from those two guys, just believing in us and getting us open looks and believing we’ll knock them down, whether we make or miss, continue to make the right plays.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- The NBA announced in a brief press release on Tuesday afternoon that Butler has been fined $25K for violating league rules related to media interview access. Butler didn’t take part in his required post-game media availability following Game 3 on Sunday.
- Head coach Erik Spoelstra may prefer to give his players the credit for Miami’s deep playoff run, but he deserves major recognition for the part he has played, William Guillory writes for The Athletic. “I can’t say I’ve been coached by somebody who moves like him,” Heat forward Kevin Love said. “He’s so committed to every facet. There’s no detail left unturned. His attention to detail is there, and he’s not a micromanager at all. He lets us play free. He lets us do our thing and allows us to be unapologetically ourselves.”
- Heat guard Tyler Herro was cleared to resume non-contact basketball activities on Tuesday as he continues to make his way back from a broken right hand, according to Chiang of The Miami Herald. When Herro underwent surgery on April 21, the team announced he would miss at least six weeks — the six-week mark would be on June 2, while the NBA Finals will tip off on June 1. Still, while the possibility of Herro returning in the Finals hasn’t been ruled out, it’s not necessarily considered likely, Chiang says.
Anyone that knows the game of basketball, knows how good this Heat team is. They are playing some of the highest IQ basketball in the history of the game. If you’re not enjoying watching them play, you don’t know basketball.
You don’t have to type everything you think. You can wait until you actually have a point to make.
Yes I do. I’m the only chance humanity has at evolution. The future hinges on every single thought that I have.
And obviously you know this, that’s why you follow me on every comment I make. Ahahahaha, see you on the next one!!!!
Pretty sure this is Lil D’s burner account. The lack of self awareness is almost identical
Please don’t insult me like that. Also, why would I have a burner account? You must think pretty highly of me.
Relax dude. Russell Celtics won cause they invented 10 deep. And the 69-73 Knicks had 8 HOFers on those teams. Heat play together more than play smart.
Those were the days I cheered the Knicks. Way past the useful 8 was a bony center named Phil.
Sorry but you just proving what I’m saying. Heats screen game is one of the most complex screens seen ina long time. They are running double and triple screens simultaneously with offball weakside screens with drop and cross rolls. Who else is doing that?
Now I ain’t disrespecting the OGs and saying they are the smartest team ever, but what they’re doing right now it’s up there.
Well said. The bottom line is they are selfless and play as a team. What Butler says game in and game out isn’t just some line. It’s as if they could not care less who is doing a lot of the scoring as long as they are winning, and freeing up shooter after shooter within the screen game you point out bears that out
Still wish they’d have closed the door on Boston last night. Maybe it’s just a blip and meaningless, but you don’t want to give an opponent hope going home
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I am seriously looking forward to Denver and Miami, Would be nice to get a good series after watching a couple of duds.
Celtics finally got an attitude. Let’s see if they win at home. If they are for real. They should spank the Heat at home.
I get that the Heat are up 3-1 and odds are, will close out the Celtics shortly, but besides taking their foot off the gas last night, they almost seemed to exude this “full of themselves” vibe that to me at least, was troubling
I like the Heat and their style of play. I like the idea that they have a deep bench full of guys who can make big time contributions. I just happen to like the Nuggets mentality of “give them no hope” as they approached game 4 in LA a little more
No matter how they’ve played so far, Tatum and Brown are guys who can easily catch fire
And it wouldn’t surprise me