Can Miami Heat Repeat and Get to the NBA Finals?

NBA
July 28, 2023

In the last decade the team from South Beach has made it four times to the Finals, not winning any of them, they have a 162-128 record in the playoffs all-time and three championships. The storyline of superstar Damian Lillard continues to slow down, many were anticipating the eventual blockbuster deal for the point guard from Portland. The team needs to improve because the last Finals exposed its team limitations under its current roster structure. Any chance to repeat and make it to the Finals, they need another star to really make NBA Lines turn in their favor.

 

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy has been great since he arrived in South Beach, for the season 2019-2020, has made it to the NBA Finals in two years, with good numbers, averaging a little more than 20 ppg and also playing more than half of the regular season games. Now the veteran who is 33 years old, needs desperately a teammate with his offensive caliber, another offensive option, and not rely on him and their sharp three-point shooters. Remember this team in the past 35 seasons they have made the playoffs in 24 of them, Las season playoffs, made an excellent run in the first round bump off the Bucks’s 4-1 record, in the Conference Semi Finals got ride of the Knicks in six games and then the tremendous Conference Finals against the favorite Boston Celtics, which went to the maximum of seven games. But the team did not have for the NBA Finals, anyone to stop Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray for, their bench was not deep enough to match with the Nuggets, as they were the most talented and dominant team in the league

 

Bam Adebayo

The Center and Power Forward is the other superstar in this team, the 25-year-old has played only for the Miami Heat and always has good performance in the regular season playing in 75 games and reaching 20.4 ppg, with more than nine rebounds a game.

 

Who Left and Who Are the New Players for Miami Heat

The team has control of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Hero, and perhaps Duncan Robinson. Pat Riley and his coaches will have to start again to rebuild this team. Will see if Kevin Love will return or not, his best years are over.

Gabe Vincent

He was able to cash in with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason signing a three-year, $33 million deal after a great full season with the black and red team. Great contract for this player who came in as an undrafted free agent.

Max Strus

One of the seven free agents this team had once the season was over, was Max Strus, the 27-year-old player, who signed a four-year $63 million sign and trade in a three-team deal with Heat and Spurs. He finished with 11,5 points per game,3,2  rebounds, 2,1assist and 1 block.

 

The Damian Lillard Story, What Happened?

When it comes to the ongoing Damian Lillard sweepstakes, there are four things we can confidently assert:

  •       Lillard wants to play for the Miami Heat and only the Miami Heat. His agent said as much.
  •       There are several other teams capable of offering more than the Heat can.
  •       The Blazers are not enthused by what the Heat, to this point, have offered, and are prepared to wait months for a better deal.
  •       None of those teams that are capable of offering more than the Heat have yet done so perhaps due to Lillard’s Heat fixation.

At the end of this movement, we need probably a third team to make more sense and probably it will be difficult to match a good offer for Portland. Lillard will turn 33 years old this year and is looking for his last chance to get a ring, to be in a team where he has more NBA Odds to be a champ and not go over again a rebuilding process.

Seeing all this uncertainly the odds for this team to make it to the Finals next year will be tough, the Bucks, the Celtics even the Sixers look way better than the Heat to win the East.