Despite COVID-19 running rampant in 2020, the NBA transitioned to the unique Bubble format.
The Miami Heat won the Eastern Conference by upsetting the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks and the No. 3 seed Boston Celtics. Although their primary star was Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic was the leading scorer. Dragic and three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo got hurt in Game 1 of the Finals against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Their injuries led to Butler taking over and the birth of “Playoff-Jimmy.” In the Finals, he averaged 26.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 8.3 rebounds on 55.2 percent shooting and 30.8 percent from three-point range.
Rajon Rondo says he challenged LeBron to guard Jimmy Butler after his crazy triple double game in the finals
“I’m like Bron, what we doing?.. we tried to put AD on him.. I’ve done seen this before, we gotta get a hold of this boy now”
(Via @wynetwork) pic.twitter.com/JX5x2iDVd3
— Sports Legacy (@Sports_Legacyy) April 11, 2025
Lakers guard Rajon Rondo explained on Dwyane Wade’s The Why podcast about challenging James to shut down Butler. This was after Butler’s two signature triple-double performances of scoring at 35 points.
“We get to the Finals, and like I said, Jimmy is going crazy,” Rondo said. “We’re in the film room again, and Jimmy had a crazy triple-double, like a 40, 10, and 10. I’m like Bron, what are we doing? And the rest is history. `Bron stepped up and took the challenge. He stuck Jimmy that Game 6, they play me, everybody else is cracking, and we end up winning.”’
ANALYST CHOOSES MIAMI HEAT’S KEL’EL WARE OVER NO. 2 PICK FOR ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM
Prior to his rookie season, the Miami Heat’s goal was to get Kel’el Ware NBA-ready and playable by his second year.
Now, Ware is in the top 10 for Rookie of the Year voting and a candidate to be the Heat’s latest player selected for All-Rookie First Team. He’s averaging 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 55.7 percent shooting.
Ware has excelled alongside Bam Adebayo up front, allowing the three-time
All-Star to return to his natural power forward position. Ware has thrived on the glass and in rolling to the basket for lob attempts and putback opportunities. He is tied with New Orleans Pelicans’ Yves Missi for the most double-doubles by a rookie with 14.
Zach Lowe breaks down why he has Kel’el Ware over No. 2 pick Alex Sarr on his all rookie 1st team
“Outshooting Sarr on 3s which I think matters. I just feel like he’s been better and played in real meaningful games”
(Via @ZachLowe_NBA) 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CVeancSh8N
— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) April 10, 2025
On The Zach Lowe Show, the basketball writer/podcaster discussed who he would have in his All-Rookie First Team and why Ware should earn a spot over Alex Sarr, selected No. 2 by the Washington Wizards.
“I feel really good with Kel’el Ware,” Lowe said. “He is No. 2 in player efficiency rating, nine points a game, and he’s shooting 63 percent on twos. Obviously, his efficiency edge over Sarr is cataclysmically large and due in large part to his role and his team. He is, however, outshooting Sarr on threes, which I think matters. I just feel like he’s been better, and he’s played in really
meaningful games.”
ESPN PERSONALITIES BLAST MIAMI HEAT’S TYLER HERRO AFTER LATEST QUESTIONABLE PLAY
Despite making huge strides in many categories, Tyler Herro’s decision-making in clutch scenarios has hurt the Miami Heat multiple times this year.
In the Heat’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, they had an opportunity to cut the game down to one possession thanks to a step-back three and steal from Herro. Instead of taking a layup while being ahead of everyone on a fastbreak, he pulled up for a transition three-point attempt and missed. The shot itself was ill-advised, but it was even worse because had he taken the layup, the Heat would have cut their deficit down to one possession with about 45 seconds left.
Herro has struggled to convert on his perimeter shots in the clutch this year. Overall, he is shooting 31 percent in clutch situations. More than half of those attempts have been from three-point range, where he is shooting 19 percent.
“This is the Tyler Herro experience.” 😂 @DavidDTSS and @WindhorstESPN react to Tyler Herro passing up an open layup to shoot a three in the final minute of Heat-Bulls. pic.twitter.com/SIoa0JauJ5
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 10, 2025
On First Take, David Dennis Jr. and Brian Windhorst shared their dismay with Herro’s decision to risk an unnecessary three-point shot with the game on the line.
“But this is the Tyler Herro experience,” Dennis said. “This is what he does. He shoots these threes, and maybe they’re ill-timed, and sometimes they go in. He just made a corner three. But this is what he does. That was a great steal. Given another chance, he may shoot the layup, but this is what you get with Tyler Herro.”
“A for entertainment, but F for situational awareness,” Windhorst joked. “The Heat love Tyler Herro. This mentality is what helped turn him into an All-Star from a back-end lottery pick or wherever he was taken. That’s who he is, but Erik Spoelstra admitted after the game I gotta coach him better.”
Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook
