The Miami Heat had to take the scenic route into the 2024 NBA Playoffs. They failed to lock down a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference, which meant playing through the NBA Play-In Tournament once again.
For the second straight year, the Heat lost the opening game, missing out on the No. 7 seed. They had to play in the final game, defeating the Chicago Bulls to land the No. 8 seed and a matchup with the Boston Celtics.
This isn’t unfamiliar territory for the Heat, who were in the same position in 2023 and found a ton of success. They knocked off the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks before defeating the New York Knicks and Celtics en route to the NBA Finals. Their run was stopped there by the Denver Nuggets.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kendrick Perkins, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, 2024 NBA Playoffs Updates
While Miami is a confident bunch that usually steps up when the lights are brightest, it is hard to envision a repeat occurring this year. The team is without their best player, Jimmy Butler, who suffered an MCL injury in the first NBA Play-In Game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Without him, this isn’t a team that looks like a threat to knock off an opponent as strong as the Celtics. In Game 1 of their series on Sunday afternoon, Boston led by as many as 34 points and cruised to a 114-94 victory.
Miami had nothing going on either end of the court. Scoring points was a real struggle without Butler and the Celtics rained down 3-pointers against a defense that could not consistently get stops. That led to one NBA analyst making a bold claim after the game.
Former NBA center Kendrick Perkins, who now works at ESPN, is giving the Heat zero chance of competing with the Celtics. After the game, he made a wild comment, commenting on how this series would turn out.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kendrick Perkins, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, 2024 NBA Playoffs Updates
“The Miami Heat could go 100% from the field and 100% from the 3 and they’re still gonna get swept in this series,” Perkins said, via NBA Central on X.
Perkins is insinuating that the Heat could play a perfect game against the Celtics and still not come away victorious. That is how lopsided he sees this series as being and it is hard to argue against that.
Based on how Game 1 went, it is clear the Heat are overmatched without Butler in the lineup. Help isn’t coming any time soon as he will be sidelined for multiple weeks with an MCL injury. A sweep could be on the horizon in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
Interested in reading the latest storylines and analysis in the NFL? Check out our partner NFL Analysis Network.
