The San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Miami Heat are three of the NBA's pillars of culture. The three franchises have established systems where players come in to fill roles, commit to the vision, and buy in completely. The Boston Celtics are currently losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, and only the Heat are currently competitive. The three teams have used the draft to find players who fit their culture and build a development program that builds on players' strengths.
The Spurs dominated from the early 2000s to the mid-2010s, while the Thunder dominated the entire 2010s. The Heat won a championship in 2006 with the help of DWYane Wade, and then again in 2010 with the help of James and Chris. The Heat made it back to the Finals in the 2020 Bubble and are fighting to get back.
Something is different this time around than it was in the past. The Heat are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, tied for third in the regular season and second in the playoffs. They seem to possess a switch no other team has, one that sees them locked down as a unit, every man causing havoc with crisp communication and seamless footwork. This has been the standard since Pat Riley joined the franchise in 1995 as coach and then as President of Basketball Operations. During his time in New York, he turned a hapless Knicks franchise into one of the toughest in NBA history, and he brought with him the black and purple blueprint.
One of the top two coaches in the NBA is the successor to Riley. He gets the most out of his players, second only to Popovich of the Spurs. He has been with Miami since 2008, providing stability on the sidelines and a consistent, no-nonsense approach. The Heat had three Hall of Fame players in 2010, but their current team is devoid of a star. Heat fans would disagree.
That doesn't mean they don't have ballers. All-stars Jimmy butler and Bam Adebayo are also All-Stars, Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo are former All-Stars, Tyler Herro is the current Sixth Man of the Year, PJ Tucker and Udonis Haslem are old-school champions, and Max Strus,
None of those names should be in a Top 10 list of NBA players. Miami Heat fans would definitely say so, as would former Heat players, but the best argument to be made is that of Butler. You'll be hard-pressed to find a majority who agrees with you. But why?
For one, his career average of 20.2 points per game shows that he hasn't been able to sustain that over the course of his career. The star opposing the Heat in the ECF is currently holding a career average of 20.9 points per game. Jaylen Brown, the second-best player on the Celtics, has a closer career average to Butler than any other player.
One of the best on-ball defenders and most vocal leaders in the NBA is one of the best two-way players in the game, is the name of the game, is the name of the man, is the name of the man, is the name of the man, is the He's a fearless competitor who improves every team he's on by turning them into a playoff team. He did it in Chicago after Rose left, in Minnesota, in Philadelphia, and since joining the Heat, he has taken them to the Finals. Why isn't he a star? Not everyone is cut out to be one. While he has the intangibles of a superstar, he doesn't have the physical gifts or offensive domination that other superstars have.
Paul George,Penny Hardaway, Ray Allen, John Starks, Kevin Johnson, and Tony Parker are all in the same category as butler. One of the best options on a championship team would be to have him as the primary option on the offense. He would have been a champion by now if his offensive game could keep up with his instincts. His 23 PER is his fourth-highest mark in his career. He has a career of 21 years. James' career PER is 27, Don't10D's is 24, and Antetokounmpo's is 24. The career shooting numbers of the man leave more to be desired. He averages 32 percent from three and 46 percent from the field.
There are other people who could be called a touch overrated. Adebayo averaged 19 and 10 this season, good numbers, but not what you would expect from a physical specimen who is one of the strongest forwards in the NBA, capable of guarding all five positions. In the playoffs, Adebayo has disappeared. He has been outmatched by opposing bigs in almost every series of his young career. In the 2020 Finals, he averaged 15 and 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 14 and 7 in four games against Boston. Adebayo is a dominant player in stretches during the regular season, but his disappearance for long stretches and entire playoff series is worrisome.
The coach of the Heat is the true Most Valuable Player. Behind his game planning, rotation, and playcalling, the Heat have consistently overachieved while tending to be less athletic, older, and less talented than their playoff counterparts. The reason the Heat have a chance at the Finals again is because of Spo. The Heat have struggled to score in the playoffs because they don't have a star. Adebayo and Herro are the next two highest scoring players, with Adebayo at 14.5 and Herro at 13.5. From the sideline, he can only do so much. We know what he can do with one person. We know what he can do with three. He brought the Heat core to the brink of contention twice in the last three seasons, without a second scoring option.
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