The Miami Heat are on the precipice of what is set to be a crucial Game 5 matchup against the Boston Celtics in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night. After an abysmal showing in Boston on Monday, the Miami Heat now find themselves in a position to play a game that has to be considered a must-win.
While they have shown capable of winning in Boston during these Eastern Conference Finals, a tough Game 3 victory without their best player, Jimmy Butler, for the second half of the contest, the Miami Heat would best serve themselves to not have to win a Game 6 in Boston to stay alive.
Again, that doesn’t say that they can’t win it, that just wouldn’t be ideal. While that’s the most important topic of the day, Tuesday’s NBA happenings lean towards a subsidiary question that should have Miami Heat supporters a bit puzzled.
The Miami Heat didn’t have a single player to make an All-NBA team. While the word from team officials is that they are more concerned with other things and rightfully so, it does begin to make you think.
The Miami Heat don’t play for individual awards or accolades, a notion proving by their history. However, when things don’t add up, they just don’t add up.
So, for a team that finished with the top record in the conference, the third-best record in the league, and didn’t have a single All-NBA performer—how is that head coach not the NBA’s Coach Of The Year?
When you look at the voting, something should stick right out at you. Here it is.
This is the first NBA Coach of the Year Award for Monty Williams, who joins Cotton Fitzsimmons (1988-89) and Mike D’Antoni (2004-05) as head coaches to earn the honor with the Phoenix Suns.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 9, 2022
More ➡️ https://t.co/obiypxju1g
Voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EcZNzURSOc
Yes, the top two vote-getters for the award, Monty Williams of Phoenix and Taylor Jenkins of Memphis did finish the regular season with a better record than Coach Spo and his Miami Heat. However, they also both had players to make the All-NBA teams.
Williams had two with Devin Booker finishing on the first team, while Chris Paul finished on the third team. Jenkins had Ja Morant, who was a second-team finisher himself.
Listen, there are tons of people out there who will give all sorts of explanations, all of which may be fair. However, it begs of this question.
If the players on the team that was the best team in the Eastern Conference weren’t worthy to be among the best 15 players in the NBA, then how did they become the conference’s best team? Subsequently, if the coach of said team was only viewed as the third-best in the league this past season, what does that say for the players?
While nothing definitive can be taken from those facts or thoughts, there is a bit of smoke there. And as the old saying goes, where there is smoke, there’s probably also fire.