3ddman23 wrote:Bloodbather wrote:knicksNOTslick wrote:Rooting for the Bulls because it seems like all the casual fans and the media overrate the Heat with all their culture talk and how they can just always turn it on in the playoffs. Doesn't always work.
The culture talk is a cliché at this point but it's true. There aren't a lot of organizations with the consistent structure and identity of the Heat over long term, it's basically just them and the Spurs. They definitely have an identifiably specific approach.
Them turning it on for the postseason is simply a fact, they've made the Finals as a #5 seed and a #8 seed in two of the last four seasons, and it's common knowledge that Jimmy Butler takes the RS less seriously.
That it doesn't always work is true, though, and as a Heat fan, I am pretty annoyed that we always play this "doesn't matter who the opponent is" angle to excuse not trying to get an advantage in the RS. Love Jimmy, but he does need to get his head out of his behind about this.
But to go along with that the heat also got beat down in 2021 by the bucks in the first round, lost to the younger Celtics in 2022 in the ecf as the #1 seed and have the potential to miss the playoffs here in 2024...
There two finals runs where cool, but there were under some pretty extreme circumstances. The bubble in 2020 was like a an aau tournament. Seeding didn't matter that year. There was no carry over from the real season, no fans, no real fatigue of an nba season. Any one could have made that finals if they played good ball at the right moment. It just happened to be miami ( and the Lakers).
2023 was on the back of some extreme hot shooting games. They had one of the best 3 point shooting performances in nba playoff history in some of those series. And That was off the back of being one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the regular season. All while nearly getting bounced in the play In by chicago. If thats not lighting in a bottle then I'm not sure what is.
Look miami without question has an identity they play hard, scrappy and spolstra is a great coach. But the heat culture thing and people thinking they can turn it on when ever they want in the playoffs and jhst waltz there way into an nba finals is extremely overblown.
In all, none of it has resulted in a championship. Which to heat fans and the organization, I assume is the end game.
This is kind of what I was getting at before: I'm just not sure why we're ignoring the other side of the coin when it comes to this team.
So 'anyone could have made the finals in 2020', but having the shortest off-season in NBA history doesn't impact getting whooped by the Bucks the next season? They have the best 3pt-shooting performance in the playoffs after being one of the worst teams in the regular season, but we conveniently forget that they were the best shooting 3-pt shooting team literally the season before? Does it not make sense that they never would've been an 8th seed had they not shot so uncharacteristically coldly during the season after being the best in the league?
Which is it?
