Miami Heat’s Christmas Day Game absence borders disrespect
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat shoots the ball against Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics during the first quarter in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The Miami Heat’s summer is almost over as the beginning of the official 2022-23 NBA schedule is right around the corner. However, some of the marquee games are starting to be announced already.
That includes bouts such as opening night, MLK Day, and the Christmas Day games that are rolled out to generate hype. The NBA releases these so that NBA fans have a date or dates to mark on their calendar.
Well, everyone except Miami Heat fans.
Upon the release of the Christmas Day games and just like last year, Miami has been bamboozled again.
They failed to secure a game even though the New York Knicks, again just like last year, earned another spot on prime-time television.
Now, last year’s Christmas Day absence could be attributed to the lackluster 2020-21 season for Miami, as they finished with the sixth seed and were ultimately swept by the Milwaukee Bucks. They didn’t deserve a game, truthfully.
However, this past season Miami finished as the first seed in the conference, third best record in the league, and was one shot away from the NBA Finals. But still—no game?
