The Miami Heat are currently the 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 43-22. However, when it comes to discussing title contenders many teams in the east are still favored over them such as Sixers, Bucks and Nets. I will go in-depth as to why this years Miami Heat team should be considered not just a contender in the east but a major threat to win an NBA championship.
Injuries and missed games has had a major affect on many of the teams that were expected to be contenders. No team has handled that challenge better than the Miami Heat as an underrated part of this team is how they've handled their key players missing games due to injury which is testament their overall depth. Their leader and all star Jimmy butler has missed 20 games. The versatile paint protector Bam Adebayo has missed 25 games. The sixth man of the year candidate Tyler Herro has missed 13 games. The future hall of fame point guard Kyle Lowry has missed 17 games. Still, even with all the Injuries they've faced several young players on their roster have stepped up and given them a lift when needed. Players like Max Strus and Caleb Martin have shown an ability to win games for them when some of their stars missed time. One of the highlight performances of the season was when former G-League player Martin dropped a career high 28 points in a stunning 113-104 win versus the title defending Milwaukee Bucks.
As the old saying goes defense wins championship and the Heat could be another example as to why that is true as they currently are a top 5 defensive team in the league currently ranking 4th in the NBA. With key offseason acquisitions of PJ tucker and Kyle Lowry adding to an already solid defensive combo of Butler and Adebayo this team built to match up well against any of the top teams in the east. As for their offense it will get a major boost with the imminent return of two time all star Victor Oladipo. If he is able to return to at least his career average scoring numbers of 17.5 points per game it could make the Heat that much better with the playoffs just weeks away.
The biggest difference maker for the Heat come playoff time could be their playoff experience as they still have their star players from that surprising Finals run in 2020. Those same stars also have the added motivation of bouncing back from an embarrassing 1st round sweep to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 playoffs. They have experienced all the growing pains that you could expect from a team with the talent and excellent coaching that they have which could likely result in another finals run. However, this time around another Finals appearance by the Miami Heat team should surprise no one.
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