They Continue To Find Comfort In Discomfort

The Miami Heat benefited from the bubble. Two seasons and a top Eastern Conference Playoffs seed later did nothing to spin that narrative.

Not even after their NBA Finals foes followed up with two laughable campaigns. From the moment Miami went from nothing more than perennial playoff participants to NBA Champions, their franchise story changed.

People said they would not have won in 2006 if the referees did not give Dwyane Wade a favorable whistle. They would not have thrived for four years without Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James.

They would have never made their 2020 run if real fans were in the stands. At last check, superstars and calls were part of every team’s run.

That is regardless of if pundits admit it or not. And when it comes to the bubble, it is a shame that great play mixed with mental fortitude suddenly became marked as a detriment.

But what the Heat did was find comfort in discomfort. It is what they do.

They are often undersized, undrafted, injured and at times, fighting Covid-19—along with each other.

Why does Miami Heat success always come with an asterisk of some sort, from multiple sources out there? The real question is ‘does it even matter’ though?

The Heat always seem to overcome other teams’ built-in excuses. The outcome is an identity that TNT’s Charles Barkley compares to Villanova college basketball.

Which can only be taken as a well-coached team that is a constant threat, regardless of what names change. That theory accounts for how the Miami Heat ended with a top-three record in the league after sporting 23 different starting lineups and a core five of Bam Adebayo (26), Jimmy Butler (25), P.J. Tucker (11), Tyler Herro (16) and Kyle Lowry (19) that missed a total of 97 games combined.

With so many absences, the majority of the players on the roster became critical. That’s a luxury that could come into play during their playoff run.

Players like Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo have shown flashes this season, while Caleb Martin has been a steady contributor. Yet, all three have been pretty regulated out of the rotation of the first two playoff games—despite Martin’s Game 2 appearance.

His 17 minutes came mainly because of foul trouble to Adebayo, Tucker, and Game 2 workaholic, Dewayne Dedmon. But there will be instances where he is needed for other reasons.

Whether it is for defensive stops or a jolt of energy on offense.

Martin has to stay ready. The same goes for Morris and Oladipo if there are moments when an extra body is needed or several players in position cannot produce.

The Heat are not scared when their roster is in flux. Which is how Duncan Robinson can go from a career playoff-high of 27 points to playing seven minutes with no shot attempts.

Everyone could be a contributor at some point.

As coach Erik Spoelstra said after Miami’s game two victory, “There is no nine-man rotation.”

“It’s a full 15-man rotation at any point during the game. You just have to be ready.”