Justise Winslow on Heat missing the playoffs: ‘I would have loved our chances’
By Wes Goldberg
Barley missing the NBA playoffs should give the Miami Heat more urgency for next season.
As everyone expected all along, the Cavaliers and Warriors ended up being the two teams in the NBA Finals. They are, by far, the best two teams in the league. These playoffs have proved as much. And while that sort of inevitability can suck some drama out of the season, it hasn’t kept the Miami Heat from itching for a crack at the postseason.
The Heat finished 41-41, missing the playoffs by one game after going 30-11 through the second half of the season. The team was disappointed to miss the postseason due to a tie-breaker that gave the Bulls the No. 8 seed in the East.
Chicago ended up winning the first two games in the first round against the top-seeded Boston Celtics. However, after Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo was sidelined with an injury, Boston came back to win the series in six games.
More from All U Can Heat
- Grade the Trade: Heat grab Trae Young in shocking proposal
- NBA 2K24 Ratings: Takeaways and reactions to Miami Heat player ratings
- 4 Teams that should trade for Tyler Herro
- Miami Heat’s Nikola Jovic gives entire world reason to love him
- 1 Advantage the Heat have over every Southeast Division team
According to the Palm Beach Post, Heat players believed they would have had a chance to knock of the Celtics.
"“I would have loved our chances in the first round [of the playoffs] and take it from there,” Heat forward Justise Winslow said Saturday. “I think guys are using that as motivation. We know that feeling of being right there. We know that feeling of being counted out, being underdogs. We use that as fuel.”"
The speculation is at least interesting. The Heat, after all, were a better team than the Bulls during the final 41 games of the regular season. And if Robin Lopez could dominate Boston in the paint, just imagine what Hassan Whiteside could have done. If Rondo hadn’t gotten injured, it’s possible Chicago would have advanced anyway.
Still, that’s all it is. Speculation.
Next: Biggest First-Round Upsets in NBA Playoffs History
The Heat missing the playoffs, though, could end up being a bittersweet blessing. Miami wasn’t as good as Cleveland, and weren’t going to get past them. Missing the postseason–being “right there” as Winslow said–could amp the team up for next season. It should give them some urgency, so that they don’t start another season by digging themselves into another 11-30 hole.