In this week’s NBA Power Rankings, the Miami Heat are facing elimination and working through the five stages of grief. Our new look NBA Power Rankings are back, a non-traditional structure for a non-traditional era of professional basketball. The world is no longer just about wins and losses and teams are no longer the primary
Miami Heat
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 04: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a call during the second half against the Miami Heat in Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE
The Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-1 lead in the 2020 NBA Finals over the Miami Heat. After Jimmy Butler’s incredible Game 3 performance, and with Bam Adebayo returning for Game 4, it felt like the Miami Heat had an opening to swing the momentum of the 2020 NBA Finals in their favor. LeBron James
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images J.R. Smith shows up to Game 4 in most J.R. Smith way possible by Mike Luciano Yankees fans hate CB Bucknor more than the Tampa Bay Rays by John Buhler Jeff Van Gundy won’t stop complaining about flopping during Game 4 of the NBA Finals The Heat and Lakers are
Goran Dragic has also been ruled out for Game 2 of the 2020 NBA Finals. Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals was an absolute rout, with the Los Angeles Lakers asserting their dominance over an underdog, injury-stricken Miami Heat squad in an 18-point blowout that wasn’t even that close. Game 2 might follow a
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Basketball is a team sport and ascribing team outcomes entirely to a single player is usually a lesson in hyperbole. But it’s not the least bit hyperbolic to
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 04: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat reacts during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User
Jimmy Butler says the Miami Heat will win Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers. If the Miami Heat are going to pull off an unlikely Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, they’re going to need a whole lot of confidence and even more luck. Fortunately for them, Jimmy Butler is exuding a
Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers were just too much for the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the 2020 NBA Finals. If there’s been a theme two games into the 2020 NBA Finals, it’s that the Los Angeles Lakers are simply too much for the underdog Miami Heat. Anthony Davis made sure to
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 30: Andre Iguodala #28 of the Miami Heat and Kendrick Nunn #25 of the Miami Heat defend LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter in Game One of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The Miami Heat are in a deep dark hole — trailing 1-0, looking to shake off an 18-point Game 1 loss and probably do it without two of
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. It’s hard to take many insights from a game that was essentially over at halftime and saw three of the Heat’s most important players suffer injuries — Goran
The Lakers and Heat are an NBA Finals matchup with all sorts of historical ramifications and interesting questions. These are the lineup, matchup and strategic issues that will decide a winner. The NBA Finals are finally here. It’s been a long, strange road, so let’s not bother with a long preamble. Here are the tactical questions
The Miami Heat win with depth and versatility. The Los Angeles Lakers win with star power. Which style will win out in the NBA Finals? When LeBron James left Miami to rejoin the Cavaliers in 2014, creating a still unrepaired rift between James and his former team, neither the Heat nor the Lakers appeared remotely
MIAMI, FL – MAY 24: LeBron James #6 and head coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) Twins fan trolling Astros with trash can outside Target Field (Video) by Steven Kubitza LeBron James had a lot of good things to say about Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. Miami Heat head
Miami Heat rookie Tyler Herro has made a small leap during the playoffs to help his team reach the NBA Finals in Orlando. The signature bucket of Tyler Herro’s 37-point Game 4 performance will be remembered as the deep, bravado-driven step-back triple he netted over All-Defensive First Team member Marcus Smart. It pushed Miami’s lead
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Trevor Bauer shatters the perception of pitchers on short rest by David Salituro Tyler Herro’s Game 4 explosion spawned a million terrible puns and moved the Heat one step closer to an NBA Finals berth. Tyler Herro is a wispy mustache and a bottomless fountain of swagger. He’s Scott
The Miami Heat culture has always been about adaptation. With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo they’ve become a smirking, energetic powerhouse. Nobody has been more fun to watch in these playoffs than the Miami Heat. They play cohesive team ball on a scale that’s genuinely rare in the NBA, but more than that, they possess
Game 1 between the Celtics and Heat was an instant classic. With Game 2 looming tonight, what questions do each team need to answer? The Miami Heat escaped Game 1 with a three-point overtime win, thanks to the last-second defensive heroics of Bam Adebayo. It was a crucial win but at least a dozen 50-50
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (Photo by Kim Klement – Pool/Getty Images) Bam Adebayo stuffs Jayson Tatum at the rim with game-winning block (Video) by Gerald Bourguet Bam Adebayo made one of the best blocks in NBA playoff history, and Twitter went wild Bam Adebayo blocked Jayson Tatum at the summit, but it’s unlikely he’ll
In a furious back-and-forth game full of clutch performances, Bam Adebayo made himself the hero with an epic defensive play to save Game 1. Working on a game story is a weird, unsettling task. The job is to braid together the most meaningful threads of a basketball game into a single narrative retelling. But the
Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce didn’t hesitate in saying he had a better pro career than Dwyane Wade. Over in Boston, Paul Pierce will never have to pay for a beer again. Not only was he an NBA champion with the Celtics, but he’s also one of the best players to ever don one of
The Miami Heat eliminated the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks from the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Playing without the reigning MVP was always going to be a tall task for the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks. Despite their best efforts without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference was eliminated from their second-round series of the 2020
The NBA Draft is a transformative moment for franchises as it provides them with the opportunity to jump-start a lost roster or continue building one on the rise. With the ever-increasing importance of the point guard position – which is as sought after as ever – teams are constantly on the lookout for their next,
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Josh Rosen just landed in ideal situation for first time in his career by Brad Berreman Giannis Antetokounmpo to play through pain in Game 4 of the Eastern Semis Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t 100 percent, but he’s going to battle in a must-win Game 4 Sunday. According
Mike Budenholzer failed the Milwaukee Bucks again as the Miami Heat took a commanding 3-0 series lead. With their backs against the wall heading into Game 3, the Milwaukee Bucks needed a win to avoid falling into the dreaded 0-3 hole that no NBA playoff team has ever recovered from. Unfortunately for the No. 1
Goran Dragic and the Miami Heat stunned the Milwaukee Bucks again in Game 2. When the Milwaukee Bucks dropped their second Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Playoffs, it was far too early to panic. After dropping Game 2 in their second-round series against the Miami Heat, however, it’s time to worry about the state
With Jimmy Butler playing the role of closer, the Miami Heat stole Game 1 from the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 1 of their first-round NBA playoff series, and the Miami Heat decided to help them run it back in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series too. Thanks to a disappointing performance from likely
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat played up to the task, taking Game 1 over the Indiana Pacers. Talent is the name of the game in the NBA Playoffs, and the Miami Heat had the advantage in that department. The Indiana Pacers began the season restart without Domantas Sabonis, and played the majority of this
T.J. Warren was one of the breakout stars of the NBA bubble, but he’ll have to overcome Jimmy Butler to help his Indiana Pacers upset the Miami Heat. T.J. Warren emerged as one of the best surprises of the 2019-20 NBA season restart. He erupted for a season-high 53 points in the Indiana Pacers‘ first
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