As of Sunday evening, the Miami Heat are no longer in the running for the Larry O’Brien trophy this NBA season.
The team stayed in the running up until the dying moments of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Jimmy Butler’s late-game missed three will be the subject of much debate over the coming days.
Still, it’s hard to blame Butler for the defeat. He basically carried this Heat squad throughout the Conference Finals. If Kyle Lowry had been healthy enough to deliver a stronger performance, perhaps he wouldn’t have had to.
That was not the case. Lowry struggled throughout these playoffs. A hamstring issue may have zapped him of his usual abilities, but at 36, it’s fair to question whether he’ll ever get them back.
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Meanwhile, the Miami Heat will have their eyes set on the Larry O’Brien Trophy again in 2022-23. It’s difficult to say how big a part of that journey Kyle Lowry figures to be.
If the Miami Heat think they’re better off without him, here’s a deal that sends the veteran floor general to the New York Knicks.
