How Jimmy Butler & the Miami Heat Nearly Stole a Statement Win vs the Clippers | Miami Heat Podcast

How Jimmy Butler & the Miami Heat Nearly Stole a Statement Win vs the Clippers | Miami Heat Podcast

Heat mounted a comeback late in the game but the final outcome was never really in doubt as Miami was outclassed outshot and outplayed a valiant effort without two of their best Shooters But ultimately a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers we’ll break it all down and answer your listener questions before

Looking into the latest news on 76 restall joid on today’s episode of Locked on heat you are locked on heat your daily Miami Heat podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day all right welcome to locks on heat your daily podcast on the Miami Heat I’m

West Goldberg editor at all heat.com joining me as always longtime NBA reporter David rill however you’re tuning in on YouTube Odyssey are your favorite podcast app thanks so much for making lock on heat your first listen every day LinkedIn jobs helps you find the qualified candidates that you want

To talk to faster post your job for free at linkedin.com lockon NBA that’s linkedin.com lockon NBA to post your job for free terms and conditions apply recording this on a Sunday night after the heat lost to the Clippers 103 to 95 David you’re there at CA Center you

Watched the game there uh I actually thought that the Heat played well enough to win in this game and I was a little surprised that you mentioned in the cold open that they were outplayed because I didn’t I didn’t really see it that way I just I didn’t think they had chances

Down the stretch they didn’t make shots down the stretch they missed 21 of their 29 three-pointers in the game the Clippers shot 4 1% from three uh but what did you think it sounds like you thought they were outplayed in this one well I mean that’s part of it right I

Think when you missed up many shots and when you’re lacking that realistic three-point threat and or a number of shots even at the rim and I don’t think they did a good job of defending the Clippers especially earlier I mean late in the game when in during that third

Quarter stretch when James Harden caught fire and then kawi letter you know caught fire and I think they they really just they lacked a certain of urgency that I thought this team would have when they were playing pretty evenly alongside them you know they were they

Were lucky I think at what point I texted you and they said I said you know they’re they’re they should be lucky considering they’re only down two when they were you know they were being again mostly outplayed and without a realistic three-point threat either so to me it

Just seemed like they had opportunities but when they don’t capitalize them I think that’s indicative of a team that just doesn’t play very well when it matters most at least not right now during the regular season they’re struggling that’s pretty clear the two past wins notwithstanding I think this

Is a team that still has some glaring weaknesses and those were kind of exposed against a much more talented Clippers team there’s no doubt that the Clippers are more talented but that’s usually the case for the Clippers every night whether no matter who they’re playing right like that team’s awesome

They’re the number one three-point shooting team in the league for a reason they they shoot 39% from three they shot 41% tonight on 39 attempts so I’m with you on that but I also just thought that the heat they they were in this game I thought they had a chance I thought the

Urgency was good I thought the defense was very good considering who they’re going up against like Kawai is going to get points Horton that comeback wasn’t a legitimate one though like I mean the final score there they still lost by eight and they were and they mounted

That comeback late in the game but I don’t think it was a realistic one it felt like a fake comeback more than anything else maybe I mean they were down 10 with like four minutes to go but there was that bam steel down to the

Other end and and he he pushes the break he kick it out to Josh Richardson he misses a three like that was a chance to get it to single digits with with four minutes left on the next possession same thing um you know Terry Rosier misses another three another chance to cut it

The single like just every time they had a chance they went two for 10 in the fourth quarter from three-point range they shot 12 of 31 in that quarter so 38% in the in the fourth quarter and the Clippers shot 53 54% in the fourth quarter and credit to the Clippers like

They they’re the better team and the better team won tonight like I’m not trying to take any credit away from them no but in terms of the the concerns we’ve had about Miami right they’ve won two in a row but they’ve also lost before this one but they’ve lost eight

Of their last 10 and the biggest concern at least during that seven game losing streak was they weren’t executing on defense they weren’t really playing with urgency on offense Jimmy Butler wasn’t being the guy that they needed for most of that seven game losing streak and I

Just I don’t think that any of those like things were the reason why Miami lost tonight I thought defensively they executed well for the most part obviously you’re going to have some glitches here and there some hiccups kawai’s just going to do Kawai things James Horton are gonna do those guys are

Going to break your defense at some point they’re just that good but defensively I thought the they they they executed well they got to the what they wanted to get to offensively they got the shots that they wanted to get to I like the fact that they took 33p

Pointers in this game um you know the the mid-range shots they weren’t settling they were getting like the closer mid-range shots that got to the rim a whole bunch and and Jimmy Butler had 19 shot attempts in the game which led the team which I think is a really

Important stat to follow going forward you know this is a little bit of a roll reversal because normally I’m the one that’s a little bit more a beat on this but I I I don’t know maybe it was just the the fact that you know they

Were up 11 early on and the Clippers looked disoriented they looked like they were a little lost to start the game they also started one the Clippers started one for nine from three-point range right they they were really struggling early on in Miami just wasn’t able to really put their foot on their

Throats and kind of continue to build and a lead or anything like that and they allow the Clippers to come back in and no not I shouldn’t say that they just allowed the the Clippers to come back into the game the Clippers are a good team and they they staged their own

Comeback they played well and they capitalized on some heat miscues but I I think there were some issues there from the heat side of things like shot to me I think offensively it was a real bog to just find any way of getting clean looks um certainly the three-point shooting

Wasn’t there either so that’s a huge concern yes they wind up taking a lot of attempts a lot of those late in the game as well I didn’t check the numbers but I warrant that a lot of those probably came in the fourth quarter maybe even as

Many as half they were at one point you know there were like four minutes left in a game they had scored 80 points that’s like 1990s Heat basketball that’s not I know that Eric spoler might like that but that’s not good enough to beat as you mentioned the best three-point

Shooting team in the NBA with four hall of fame Superstars and a good overall cat too so I I I saw this team yeah I’m sorry four hall of fame Superstars Kawai Harden Russell Westbrook and Paul oh Westbrook you’re right right yeah the he struggled a

Little bit but still he was Miami’s Best Player I was like you big Mason plumbley [Laughter] guy um yeah no I think you know again I I I saw the Heat team and uh you wish they would have been able to be a little bit more effective early on and not wait

Until you know they were down 10 with a minute and a half left and say okay now we’re really going to try and ultimate kind of felt like that way at least to me watching the game in person you know that’s interesting yeah I think maybe sometimes you get a different vibe

Seeing the game in person versus how you see it at home I know we’ve experienced that before when you’ve been covering the game here but yeah from my perspective it just seemed like the the the final outcome was never really all that close you know they mounted their

Comeback it was nice and fun and it gave the the few remaining f left at C Cent or something to cheer for but it was really never in doubt yeah it’s just really hard when when one team is shooting really well from three-point range and and the other team isn’t it’s

Just it’s going to be tough to to be in a game like that we shouldn’t have gone this long without mentioning that there was no Duncan Robinson and no Tyler hero in this game Tyler hero is a late scratch because of a migraine uh he was expected to play within minutes of this

Game but he just couldn’t I’m shooting around yeah I’m shooting I thought he was fine and then all of a sudden we get an announcement saying he’s not going to start Josh would start in his place and then a couple minutes after that Tyler’s been ruled out completely so he just

Want so you’re down your two best three-point Shooters but not just your best three-point Shooters I would argue your only good three-point Shooters on the entire team everybody El like Caleb Josh like they’re streaky they’re probably average like I don’t think I would qualify any of those guys as like

Good three-point Shooters they’re average three-point Shooters so you’re down you’re only two good three-point Shooters on the roster and the other team over there is the best three-point shooting team in the league so to your point David this game was probably over before it even started when you can when

You kind of consider all of those things but I don’t know I thought I thought they could have stole this one I thought they could have stolen this one and it would have been a statement win and had they actually come up with this game and if Josh Richardson hits that three late

Terry Rosier hits a three late if some of the other things break in those last four minutes like you’re mentioning how they only had 80 points like the Clippers didn’t score a whole lot in this game in terms of just their sheer production like that game was there it

Was in the balance I agree with you that the C out they like they deserve to win this game but they could have Miami could have stolen one at home and had they we would have been talking about a statement win here and a three- game win

Streak and what all of this means but I’m taking like a I’m zooming out on the like the bigger picture here and the concerns I had during the seven game losing streak I just I didn’t see it o in the two the two wins and I didn’t

Really have those concerns in this game tonight I just thought the team that was visiting casay sener was flatly the better team and they lost to the better team sometimes that just happens um are the Heat or should we be more concerned about hae’s recent struggles or Bam’s

Recent struggles and can the Heat win consistently if those two aren’t performing to their earlier standards we’ll talk about that next here on lock down heat today’s episode is brought to you by better help better help look so much of what’s going on nowadays you’re trying to do the right thing you’re

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Be joined by NBA Insider Matt Moore for Tuesday Morning’s episode breaking down what else the Miami Heat could do before the Trad deadline do they have to make a move and if they do what kind of moves are we talking about we’ll talk about all that with our friend Matt on Tuesday

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First ever National Sports 247 streaming Channel we’ll talk about joelan be’s injury and that and how it can impact the Miami Heat and the Eastern Conference as a whole big news coming out of Philadelphia but before we get to that we’re going to get to our listener

Questions a little bit earlier than we usually do in our postgame shows we’re going to do it right now as always thanks to everybody who sent in questions using that hashas eloh heat you can find us on uh you can you can email us lockon heat atgmailcom find us

On in Instagram at locked on heat our first question comes from Naran who writes in what’s wrong with haime is it an injury is it the rookie wall did the league figure him out is it the system is it the rotation David what do you think what’s going on with haime hakz JR

I don’t think it’s uh the league figuring him out and I think there’s a little bit lingering issue with the injury and I think it’s also not necessarily the rookie wall but I think he’s played a lot of minutes he’s played a lot of games for this Heat team and

He’s been asked to do a lot in those minutes and he was doing great he was thriving in that capacity until the time he got hurt uh today I I saw a much more lackluster version of him at least early on but at one point then he knocks down

A big time three in order to help Miami I think get a lead back after they had let their previous lead slip away and you kind of see the the return to form he does another the spin move in an ensuing possession down the lane he gets

A little spin on somebody I can’t recall exactly who it was I think r been Trey man gets a layup at the rim and you can see him kind of play with a little bit more pep and step but early on he was really struggling he was defensively he

Was really bad I I go so far to say that he was completely lost on defense wasn’t playing with a lot of effort having a hard time matching up with a physicality of a guy like James Harden or kawi Leonard and he looked like he was struggling so I think it’s just a

Balance of both I I think the All-Star break is going to be very beneficial for him although he’s going to be going to Indianapolis I think he could absolutely use the break just to get better to kind of recharge those batteries because it’s a long season and I think he’ll

Eventually be fine maybe I’m just being optimistic but that’s just the way I see it yeah I mean he’s goingon to go to Indianapolis to you know shake babies and kiss hands right and so that that’s it’s not as bad as playing regular season basketball I realized I did that

Back on purpose yeah I hope not because he’s probably gonna wind up in Indianapolis Jail Indianapolis jail in prison some shaking babies and kissing hand um since he’s come back from the groin injury it’s not been good uh before even tonight he was shooting 32%

Overall uh he was tonight three of 11 so even worse so that percentage is going to come down it hasn’t been the same I don’t know if it’s it might just be lingering in uh uh effects of the the grin injury that that was bothering him

He has not been what he’s been for most of the year before missing those games of the injury he was averaging 14 points a game on over 50% shooting so this is precipitously different than where he was before so to your point let’s see what happens maybe it is a little bit of

The rookie wall he’s already played an entire College season right like this is way more games than he ever played in a single season that’s expected this is this is what happens to Rookies they call it the rookie wall for a reason and it does exist and I think ime has hit it

And I think his groin is hit it too and I think he just needs to he needs the All-Star break and hopefully he can get a little bit refreshed and by the way with with people healthy with Caleb Martin healthy with with all those wings healthy now maybe you can’t afford to

Play him a fewer minutes right I know people were asking why wasn’t he playing more in the fourth quarter you gotta get this guy a break right and um and I thought I thought the Five Guys on the floor were doing a good job too in this

Game so uh toties writes in is it finally time to get bigger I imagine that this is a reference to Thursday’s tread deadline do the heat need to make a move to get some size um it’s an interesting question big picture but before we go big picture little picture

Did you watch this game I I guess I’m just curious about why we got this question for this game did you watch this game and think that the the heat were lacking size against the Clippers was that an issue in your opinion they were outrebounded but no that’s not the

Way I saw it I thought it was more of just a lack of shooting really more than only out rebounded by four so like barely yeah yeah so I I I don’t think that was the biggest problem I mean Zach returned to the lineup tonight after

Having an injury and he looked a little shaky he picked up two early fouls Mason plumbley got some minutes too he was okay but neither of them really super impactful in their minutes I don’t think that was the problem there have been plenty of games that have exposed

Miami’s lack of size I don’t think tonight was one of them I think it was more about maybe just it would be great to have another big out there that you could stretch the floor but I don’t think that’s what was necessary you know it is sort of it’s sort of funny when

When things I hate I hate when analysis kind of comes down to well make or Miss but when one team shoots the way that the Clipper shot and the other one shoots the way that the heat shot and it is sort of funny how fans will find

Other things to like oh we just we’re missing some size like you just said it might have been nice to have a player who could stretch the floor like a big man who could stretch the floor yeah sure like big picture that would be nice for the heat like another

One but but like the key part there is stretch the floor like just more people to shoot threes and make them right and so I thought that’s just what the heat missed tonight I do like the idea of them maybe getting bigger to go now to

The big picture part of it I would if I were the heat explore some options there they obviously don’t trust Thomas Bryant or Orlando Robinson for real minutes I don’t know where the rotation spot is I don’t know that you could just just go acquire like a legit seven-footer and

Just be like yeah we know exactly where we’re going to play this guy now because you’re Bam’s going to get a bunch of minutes Kevin loves getting a bunch of minutes we know Eric spos is gonna want to go small for portions of the game with Haywood they’re already starting

Haywood High Smith at the four he likes going with Caleb at that spot to close the halves also so just because you add the size doesn’t necessarily mean that that size is going to get any time like that player has to be legitimately good enough to crack your top eight of the

Rotation and I don’t I’m not saying that that guy’s not out there but I don’t know who it is in other words and how you kind of reshape the team that’s like that’s a drastic sort of sea change of style too of what this team would do if

You suddenly went out and got like a Brook Lopez type and just dropped him into the Miami Heat for instance like I’m not I don’t think Brook Lopez is available but I’m just trying to make a point like if you just drop Brook Lopez onto the heat like they’re already

Dealing with trying to incorporate Terry Rosier and that was a major seed change based on what they were getting from the position before so I don’t I don’t know if that’s what you want to be doing mid-season either I mean seven Footers that can shoot 40% from three

Don’t just exist anywhere otherwise they would probably be getting highly paid by their respective teams they just wouldn’t be available to Miami so I I don’t think it’s a realistic option but maybe another you know again even if it’s just a bruising Center somebody that might be a little bit more

Effective like like Thomas Bryant’s supposed to be that guy like that’s that was the role he was supposed to play what about like an Andre Drummond a guy who you know is just gonna be able to get rebounds yeah but it’s a nice idea but

At the same time I could just see him being completely outplayed and not not getting any minutes in rotation once the playoff start yeah it’s sort of like what I was talking about before like where you going to put them where are you playing them what are the

Lineups it’s again not saying no but I do wonder I like the idea of getting bigger but maybe in the offseason I think maybe that’s more of an offseason topic um K writes in when will we all collectively realize that Jimmy Butler scoring at an elite level for a long

Stretch shaped everybody’s role on the team to perform at their best in their roles what do you mean when we all knew this this is what I’ve been screaming on this podcast for two weeks now Jimmy Butler has to play like a superstar for this team to play its best it puts tyah

Hero in his right place even though he didn’t play tonight it puts bam in his right place where he could just be a 20 and 10 guy and exist that way and it’s fine it’s fine I I don’t think that we’re like I think we all we we were all

On that same page it was just a matter of Jimmy kind of playing that way right yeah Eric spoler asked about it pregame uh you know what do you think about his aggression of late and he’s like good you know that’s what we need from him

And so I think everybody’s on board with that idea Jimmy you know I think he was pretty good today he wasn’t like otherworldly he shot well from three to a five from three-point range and that was absolutely necessary like Miami he was he was along with Kevin Love they

Were Miami’s best three-point shooting threats so I don’t think anybody expected that at the start of the season but there we are maybe that should have been the lead is like when Jimmy Butler is your best three-point shooter on a night you probably don’t have a great

Chance of winning that game fair enough fair enough statistically it was Kevin Kevin but still you know either way uh you don’t want to rely too much on Jimmy’s three-point shooting to save you but uh yeah I I think yeah that’s that’s the nature of every team like you have

Stars and then everybody kind of figures out their role so I’m glad that Jimmy’s kind of carving out his and I think it would have been a little different tonight had Tyler been there because I think another guy who is looking to get his scoring

Etc uh you know I think he would have been a consistent scoring threat hopefully he would have been able to space the floor if he’d been able to hit those threes but you also wonder too how he would have handled the physicality of guys like Kawai and Paul George were

Such great Defenders like nobody’s talking about kawhai Leonard or not near enough but he he was phenomenal today he was back breaking San Antonio Spurs like version of kawh Leonard where he’s just like oh he just pounds the ball kind of turns his shoulder a little bit and then

Let’s go with that turnaround jumper it’s nothing but net broke away for a fast break dunk like it’s so good for the league I think to see him back in healthy but just not good for the Heat tonight that’s for sure shot 50% overall had two steals two blocks 25 points led

The game he was awesome and he’s been awesome for a very long time he should be I think in the MVP conversation because of the two-way his numbers aren’t like points per game like some of these other guys but he should be at least in the conversation

For whatever that’s worth but um we’ll talk we already talked about haime and his struggles what about bam we’ll talk about him plus Jolan beid does his latest injury open the door for another Miami Heat run we’ll talk about that next year on lock on heat today’s episode of lock on heat is

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That’s linkedin.com lockdown NBA to post your job for free terms and conditions do apply thanks for making lock on heat your first listen every day make sure you’re subscribed on YouTube and on your favorite podcast app one more listener question before we get to the latest news regarding Joel and bead’s injury

And what that means for the Eastern Conference kbop writes in what’s happened to Bam that’s the question tonight bam adab bio five of 13 overall shooting for 14 points did have 13 rebounds did have three assists did have three steals yeah um but overall it’s been a

Rough week and a half couple weeks for B metab bio I know that it’s something that you and I have talked about uh before whether or not maybe the injury the hip injury from earlier in the season is still lingering I think it’s a fair question and I think it’s fair to

Wonder what’s going on with him in terms of the shooting percentages overall cuz to me is the most alarming part of it defensively he’s still what he is um and has been for most of the season but the shooting percentages those have been rough lately David he just he lacks like touch around

The basket in a way that he had it uh you know and I I see him do the same pregame workout every time where he’s you know kind of dancing on his toes a little bit and then Malik Allen feeds him the ball quickly so he just puts on

A quick hook to you get these kind of touch repetitions over and over and over again that’s just his pregame routine and then he gets into the game and it’s not like he’s got a bigger body on him and you know sometimes he’s being guarded by James Harden I I thought that

He would be more aggressive and trying to back him down and try to get an easier look at the hoop he did not and so you have to wonder whether or not is it’s just like this lack of strength perhaps because of the lingering Ury or

Something I don’t I don’t want to go back to the old Narrative of oh bam lacks aggression he’s not being uh you know he’s not looking for a shot enough but there were opportunities there at the rim and even near in the painted area and he just wasn’t as explosive nor

Willing to capitalize on those opportunities so it was a combination of just bad looks overall for maam and not a good night for him defensively as you said I think he was phenomenal a really impactful player and I thought he was going to start off he he started off the

Game really really well I think he had four trips to the line and uh he was able to do some nice things early on but then as the game wore on he just looked a little bit more and more phased uh and just didn’t seem like he was really as

He healthy or explosive as we’re accustomed to seeing from bam and in the month of January he’s shooting 15% from those foul line jumpers from the mid-range from the mid-range that was the bread and butter that was the offense for babio because of certain matchups and because of the way Miami’s

Offense was sort of structured especially with Kyle Larry he wasn’t getting into the rim all the time this is not a guy who’s just dunking and dunking and dunking he’s not a seven-footer he’s not a guy who’s able to get into the restricted area and just

Plop the ball into the basket that foul line jumper is basically what his offense subsists on and when he’s shooting 15% on those long twos just it’s a recipe for disaster he was shooting 40 plus percent I think it was like 44% prior to the turn of the

New year that has now dropped to basically 32% of the season because his January was so bad that is a bad mid-range shooter that is a person who should not be taking mid-range shots based on those percentages now you and I both know that he’s probably closer to

That 40 to 44% mid-range shooter than he is the 30% mid-range shooter but still like that’s when you when you’re talking about why he’s been ineffective basically all of January offensively it’s it’s that’s the reason that’s the reason when you take a when you take away the guy’s bread and butter what do

You like you’re you’re left with an empty plate and that’s basically what bam matab bio’s offense has been uh the Tera Rosier pairing has been helpful for him I can only imagine how much worse it would be because Rosier has sort of been able it was it was not at first but this

Pick and roll stuff with him is clicking a little bit more now um and I actually think the the tah hero when he was healthy him and Bam were having a nice little pick and roll chemistry over these last couple of games too they he needs those guys to feed him when you

Were talking about how he started early and and Duncan as well but when you started talking about bam and how you thought it was he was playing well early a lot of that was Terry Rosier feeding him the ball right out of the pick and

Roll so um more of that I think that they’re tilting the offense in that direction for a reason also and honestly this might end up being good because you don’t really want bam Tak a ton of foul line jumpers you don’t want that to be the bread and butter offensively you

Would rather be the bread and butter be some of these lobs and the pick and roll stuff that Terry Rosier might be able to unlock on the offense so going forward more of that less of the mid-range shots it could have a better like overall impact like big picture-wise but he

Still needs that fou line jumper to fall and and I don’t know I don’t know why it hasn’t been it just might be as simple as being a shooting slum let’s talk about jool embiid um the 76ers announced on Sunday night that embiid is going to undergo a procedure to address a left

Miniscus injury in the coming days and is expected to miss an extended portion of time ESPN reported that the door isn’t closed on a return uh for Joel embiid this season obviously we’re going to get more details in these next few days after the procedure is done um uh

The the guy that runs in street clothes was tweeting something about are are they going to remove the part of the miniscus are they going to repair it and and which way they go the other will determine how long embiid is ultimately out there’s a chance that his season is

Over David there’s a chance that he could be back before the playoffs we we just don’t know like I said we’ll learn more in the coming days but in your opinion how does this injury impact the Eastern Conference as a whole it’s wide open now in a way that it wasn’t I think

The Philadelphia 76ers were playing extremely well they they looked like they were a dangerous team um they might have been even movers at the trade deadline they might have been a team that could acquire a complimentary star or role player that might have really helped such a good point cement

Philadelphia’s chances at being you know one of top teams in the East or maybe one of the top teams in the league and they had the MVP or one of the at least one of the top five players in the league in Joel embiid and not just the

Reigning MVP but like the MVP this year as well his production this year might even have eclipsed what he was able to do last year so oh no doubt and now it’s wide open like you’ve got a a Knicks team that just has shown a lot of grit Milwaukee Bucks might work through

Whatever issues they have the Orlando Magic you the Cleveland Cavaliers have looked lingly dangerous uh and you know there’s always a chance for Miami too to maybe figure something out and and be able to replicate a little of the magic from last year’s playoff run too so that

I think you know that’s that’s the bigger picture there is that unfortunately for Philadelphia their season is hovering on the brink there because you never know what’s can happen and they’re in in the absence of Joel embiid but once they make the playoffs they’re good enough right now to get

Into the playoff picture even you know even if they wind up losing a bunch of games but you know they’re not going to be the same kind of level threat without mbid out there yeah they’re they’re B there’s too many games left to say they’re guaranteed even a top six spot

In the East but it would be really hard for them even without embiid to fall out of the playin tournament completely right um but they’re only two and a half games up uh on Indiana for that fifth spot they’re a game behind New York uh New York’s the fourth seed Philadelphia

Right now is the fifth seed uh they’re very very much ahead of Miami right now I don’t think the heat could catch them but tyes Maxi has been awesome he can carry that team for portions of the regular season but yeah if embiid is not

What he has been or 90% of it then they have no shot in the playoffs but if he is if he is the player that he’s been for most of these this regular season I’m not counting the 76ers out I know that Jolan beid has his playoff

Shortcomings and all these things but I think that team is a legitimate threat in the East I think they could beat Boston I think they could beat Milwaukee I don’t know they they would be favorites in those series I don’t know that I would pick them in those series

But I think they could certainly beat those guys at at full health no doubt about it um the trade deadline thing is such a great point that you brought up though before if if they’re not a player the trade deadline and jol and beid is able to come back before the playoffs

Like it they’re going to they’re going to know like I guess if they in these next couple days and that’s why these next few days are so important for them they want to get this procedure done and get into another evaluation as soon as possible because the deadline’s Thursday

And if they think he can could be back by the playoffs maybe they still do make some sort of move to put their chips in but they you’re never really going to know what Joel and beid looks like when he comes back so it’s so interesting uh

At if embiid again isn’t what he was or something close to it that takes one Contender out of the Eastern Conference and it just opens the door a little bit more for a team like Miami to make a run because I don’t think that you can just

Expect the heat to make the run that they did just because they did it last year right and I think the Eastern Conference is way better now than it was last season Boston’s better I think Milwaukee’s better despite some of the stuff going on there Cleveland’s better

The Knicks are better the Sixers are better the Pacers are better like the heat can lose to any of those teams in a playoff series but if you knock one of those teams out it just gets a little bit easier I think if you’re a team like

The heat um all right thanks for making lock down heat your first listen every day every day or make sure you tune in uh tomorrow to hear our episode with NBA Insider Matt Moore on what else the heat might be able to do before the trade deadline hit that subscribe button on

YouTube and follow us on your podcast app

The Miami Heat fell to the LA Clippers on Sunday night, ending the team’s two-game win streak. The Heat have now lost eight of their last 10, but Wes Goldberg and David Ramil aren’t as concerned as they were a week ago. They break down the loss, Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s recent struggles, the latest news regarding Joel Embiid’s injury and more.

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