Is there no catching the Boston Celtics by these Miami Heat?
Q: Man, Kristaps Porzingis takes the Celtics to another level, and it’s another level I’m not sure the Heat can reach. What do they do now? – Adam.
A: Well, Kristaps Porzingis certainly did just that in the opener of the NBA Finals against Dallas, and his presence shows the Heat are more than just one player away from competing with the current Celtics. What will be interesting to see is whether the Heat come around to such a conclusion internally. If they do, then they also could determine they are more on a Bam Adebayo timeline than, say, a Jimmy Butler timeline. Typically, teams measure themselves against the champion. Last year, that meant the Heat trying to get bigger, to at least attempt to compete with the size of the Nuggets. I’m not sure at the moment there is a single specific area to measure up against the Celtics.
Q: Maybe it just comes down to talent and luck with injuries. Not many NBA seasons will a team go pretty much injury free with its top six players all regular season and playoffs. The Celtics have pulled it off, with the only exception being Porzingis, who came back fresh just in time. – Mark.
A: As opposed to when the Heat dealt with the injuries of Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic in the 2020 Finals against the Lakers, last year’s Tyler Herro absence in the Finals against the Nuggets, and then the Heat’s walking wounded being blown out in this year’s first round by the Celtics. But it also is worth study about why that happened so often, and why it didn’t for Boston (or Dallas) this time around.
Q: Ira, why is Tim Hardaway Jr. out of the Mavs’ rotation? What is his contract status? He could be a good addition to the Heat, if it works financially and they can steal him away. – Joel.
A: Basically the emergence of Derrick Jones Jr. and P.J. Washington, plus the turns to the youth of Jaden Hardy and Josh Green have made Tim Hardaway Jr. an odd man out in Dallas. Tim has one more year on his contract, at $16.2 million for 2024-25, before he can become a free agent in a year. I can’t see the Heat making that money work at the moment, but the son of the legendary Heat guard certainly has had his fair share of moments against the Heat over the years.
