Cohesion
With all this being said, the Heat's cohesion took a step back this season. Even with all the injuries, this is nothing that this core isn't used to over the last handful of years. In years prior, Miami was able to embrace the "next man up" mentality and still have impressive cohesion no matter who was available on the court.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the same story this time around. Fans have famously heard the "power of friendship" line that surfaced during last year's Finals run, which led the team to huge wins despite who was on the court. The Heat lost Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo early on in the 2023 postseason, but that never impacted the team in standing on business.
Who remembers in the 2021-2022 season, when nearly most of the roster was out with Covid, and this team was STILL earning victories with undrafted players and free agents? That is the type of no-excuses mentality and chemistry throughout the organization that was missing all of this year. The cohesion and vibes need to be fixed, regardless of injuries.