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The Miami Heat have a tough road to the 2022 NBA Finals as they face the defensively-dominant Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics outclassed the Brooklyn Nets and defending champions Milwaukee Bucks to make it this far, shutting down the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and tiring out Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Jimmy Butler has been clinical for the Miami Heat in the playoffs so far, averaging 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 10 games. The Heat have had it relatively easier, beating the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and the Philadelphia 76ers – who failed to show up – in the second.
No doubt Butler has been the team’s main man, but when it comes to the playoffs, even superstars need some help. Kyle Lowry has played just five games, and Tyler Herro has not lived up to his regular-season production – which has been pointed out as a concern by an anonymous scout, in an interview with “The Athletic”. The unnamed scout said:
“I just think Miami doesn’t have quite enough. It’s Butler, Butler, Butler and then who else? Tyler Herro, he’s averaged, what, 14 (points), in the playoffs? That’s not going to do it in this series. He’s got to be better.”
Tyler Herro went from averaging 20.7 points, five rebounds and four assists in regular season to averaging just 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in the playoffs so far. The Sixth-Man of the Year has had a few good nights, but most of the heavy-lifting has been done by Jimmy Butler.
Against the Boston Celtics, there is going to be a plan in place to contain Jimmy Butler. The Celtics have multiple defensively-strong players in Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown, who could all be options to put the clamps on Butler. With Lowry’s injury and Adebayo’s lack of scoring consistency plaguing the franchise, Herro will need to pick up the slack.
The anonymous scout was skeptical about Tyler Herro’s output, saying:
“Philadelphia did a decent job on him, but Tyler Herro’s got to rise to the occasion, and I’m not convinced he’s going to be a real productive number two to get them to the finals. He has to be. He hasn’t shown that yet.”
The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics meet again in the Eastern Conference playoffs
The match-up between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics will be a repeat of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, in which the Miami Heat prevailed over six games. But both teams have improved since then, proving their worth during the regular season as well as the playoffs.
A commonality between the two teams is their focus on defense. The Miami Heat have strengthened their defense this season, adding P.J. Tucker to their roster; while the Celtics have upgraded their defensive strength by working together as a unit. The Celtics’ switch play and flexibility in terms of guarding different positions helped them get this far, and despite not having home-court advantage, they are arguably the better stacked team.
It will be interesting to see which team prevails, and considering the defensive strength on both sides – the offensive production will prove to be the differentiator.
Guess the Lakers players!
