Did The Miami Heat Lose in NBA Playoffs to Eventual Champions…Again?
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball over Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
For the past two seasons, the Miami Heat have been the team to go through on the road to the NBA championship. In 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals to win their 17th franchise title.
Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks eliminated the Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, only to go on to win the championship. If you look at Jimmy Butler, this trend goes back an extra year, in which he lost in 2019 against the Toronto Raptors as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.
This season, the Miami Heat were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. If the trend were to continue, the Celtics would have to defeat the Golden State Warriors, who have reached the Finals in six of the last eight seasons.
The Celtics already have a 1-0 lead on the Warriors. They are now three wins away from being crowned champions.
Will they be able to win the Finals? Will the Heat lose to the best team for the third straight season?
