"They think about the old LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh" - 3x All-Defensive selection praises Miami Heat for their work ethic, offers key advice to Jimmy Butler
Despite entering the playoffs as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat have gone a tad overlooked.
While many have cited them as a team who could potentially work their way to the finals, they haven't been shown in the same light as teams like the Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics.
Proper recognition or not, it's time to give the Miami Heat credit. They have reached the conference finals and are now only four wins away from playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since falling short to the Lakers in the bubble.
On a recent episode of ESPN's "Get Up," a discussion broke out on why the Heat haven't gotten the recognition some feel they deserve. Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Patrick Beverley feels it's because people are too caught up on some of their older teams. He said:
"It's not like they have a flaring superstar. When people think Miami Heat, they think of the old LeBron, D-Wade, Chris Bosh type of days."
Along with praising the Heat for being a consistently good team over the past half decade, Beverley also touched on what Jimmy Butler needs to do for Miami to get past the Boston Celtics, stating:
"I just think Jimmy has to play at his pace. You could tell he controlled the pace when he played against Philly."
πΎJimmy 'Superstar' Butler took that series personal ππΎ https://t.co/bxR20tgnek
The Miami Heat find themselves with a golden opportunity
Whether the lack of attention has upset them or not, the Heat find themselves with a golden opportunity in the Eastern Conference finals.
Since the second half of the regular season, the Boston Celtics have been one of the most talked about teams in the entire league. If Miami can knock them off and put an end to their incredible run, everyone will be forced to give them the credit and recognition they deserve.
2012.
2020.
2022.
Here we go again. #HEATCulture https://t.co/Ms2cbG8p85
The Heat also have a chance to silence a lot of their critics in this series. When they went to the finals back in 2020, many were quick to call it a fluke. After a premature exit last postseason, Miami is once again knocking on the door of the NBA's grandest stage.
If they are able to overcome Boston and get back to the finals, nobody can discredit what they did in the bubble anymore. Outside of some small additions in the margins, Miami has kept its core intact.
An argument can certainly be made that Miami doesn't get talked about enough, but that all could be coming to an end very soon.