The Miami Heat haven't had the greatest of seasons thus far and have surprisingly struggled a fair bit at home. The Heat have lost 16 games at home (18-16 record) in 2023-24 and they hadn't lost more than 15 in any of the four seasons prior to this one. When asked about their struggles at home, Jimmy Butler stated no one is scared of the Heat.
"Home or away I mean, we’ve got a job to do," Butler said. "I don’t think anybody’s scared to come in here and play us. I don’t think anybody’s scared to play us on the road, either. Hopefully, in the coming games, we figure it out, we put our heads down, and get to work. Because we definitely got to start winning if we want to be where we want to be."
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Butler's comments came after the Heat were blown out 111-88 in Miami by the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. It was their third straight defeat at home, having lost to the Denver Nuggets and the lowly Washington Wizards prior to that. Struggling at home this late into the season is never a good sign.
To the Heat's credit, though, they responded to those defeats by blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-84 at home on Sunday night. After the Pelicans shot 51.2% from the field against them, the Heat allowed the Cavaliers to shoot just 41.7%. There had been some slippage on the defensive end recently and this was more like what you want to see from the Heat.
For teams to be scared to play them, though, their offense needs to take things up a notch. The Heat are currently eighth in the league for defensive rating at 112.1, which is great, but are down at 23rd for offensive rating at 112.9, as per the NBA. You are not going to win consistently when your offense is that bad, and it's why the Heat are just 39-32 on the season.
Can Butler Lead The Heat To Another Trip To The Finals?
What's so interesting about the Heat, though, is that this is exactly what we said about them last season as well. They finished 25th in offensive rating and ninth in defensive rating in the regular season in 2022-23, which is worse than where they are now.
Despite that, the Heat made it to the NBA Finals last year, as Butler elevated his game in the postseason. The 34-year-old has only averaged 21.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2023-24, but you wouldn't bet against him taking things up a notch in the playoffs.
While I expect him and the team as a whole to up their game in the postseason, I don't see the Heat getting back to the Finals. The Boston Celtics are just flat-out better than them and while the Heat did beat them in seven games last year, I don't think a repeat will happen.
Thanks to the additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics are far better now than they were when these sides met in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat have also lost all three regular-season meetings to the new-look Celtics in 2023-24.
I would also back the New York Knicks to get the better of the Heat if they are healthy. Like the Celtics, the Knicks haven't lost to the Heat in this regular season thus far either. While things can certainly change in the playoffs, I just think we'll see more of the same if the Heat play either of these two.
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