The Miami Heat can qualify for the NBA Finals if or when they finish the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
They currently lead the series 3-0 and have a chance to sweep Boston in Game 4 on Tuesday.
If or when Miami makes it to the Championship Series, their chances of winning it all will likely hinge on the availability of guard Tyler Hero, who has been sidelined since suffering a hand injury in the first round of the playoffs.
According to head coach Erik Spoelstra, via reporter Tim Bontemps, there is no timetable for his return, despite progress in his recovery.
There’s no timeline for Tyler Herro’s return, but he has a brace and is continuing his rehabilitation, Erik Spoelstra says.
– TimBontemps May 23, 2023
It’s amazing how hot it got this far, especially without Hiro.
They faced the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that had won the World Series just two years earlier, in the first round of the playoffs, and were considered a strong underdog.
But they managed to beat the Bucks, who had the best record in the league in the regular season, in five games.
Miami then passed the New York Knicks in five games in the next round despite having a much smaller front line.
Herro is a very important member of the team, as he is the only consistent offensive threat to them from the dribble other than Jimmy Butler.
He averaged 20.1 points a game in the regular season after being permanently moved into the starting lineup after winning last year’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
It would be very difficult to beat the Denver Nuggets, who qualified for the NBA Finals from the Western Conference, even with a champion intact, but the Heat have been there and done it before.
the next:
The competition is one win away from challenging the unbelievable odds of making it to the finals