MIAMI (AP) — Since breaking his hand in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Miami Heat guard Tyler Hero has come down to providing support for teammates in visibly flashy outfits — much-discussed topics — from the sidelines.
The Heat prefers to be their 20-point scorer on the field. But his return is still pending, and although Miami hopes Hiro can play basketball again this season, they are running out of time and matches.
The NBA Finals head to Miami on Wednesday with the Denver Nuggets game series tied at 1-1. Miami’s Erik Spoelstra said Hero was going to do a full workout on Tuesday, but the veteran coach remained noncommittal about the player’s potential return. Herro was not allowed to play.
“I don’t want to be Nostradamus now. We take it one day at a time,” Spoelstra said. “I know that sounds like a cliche. He did the training with the group… We’ll meet with the coaching staff later today and maybe tomorrow, and we’ll continue that process. He hasn’t been exonerated yet, so that’s where we’re at, but we’re encouraged by the work he’s been doing.”
Hero was diving for a loose ball late in the second quarter of the Eastern Conference season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks when he sustained an injury to his right hand. He returned to the game, but was leaning forward in apparent pain in front of the Miami bench in the final minute of the first half.
“I feel like I have a few things to prove this postseason,” Herro said in April. It was a difficult moment. I can’t believe it yet.”
He underwent surgery on April 21 for the fracture, with a recovery schedule of four to six weeks, making a eventual return possible.
“He’s another guy who provides a lot of shot-making, play-making ability,” said forward Kevin Love. “You saw in Game 1, we got cold from the 3-point line, and we didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from the field. He’s just one of those guys who provides a lot of firepower.”
Losing this pivotal part of their offense — their third leading scorer behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo — seemed like a blow that would prematurely end the Heat’s postseason run.
But they kept winning.
They eliminated the top-seeded Bucks in five games, dealt the New York Knicks in six games, and recovered from a 3-0 series defeat in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston to advance to the Championship Series for the second time in four seasons.
Players such as Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Max Strauss provided success in Hero’s absence.
Vincent is Miami’s third-leading post-season scorer with 13.9 points and 3.9 assists in 31.6 minutes. Martin, who came out of college with a stint in the G League, was the rising star in the Conference Finals with 19.3 points on 60% shooting, including a career-high 26 points for Boston in Game 7.
“I’m so happy for the city of Miami,” Butler said Wednesday. This organization, they deserve to be in the finals. They deserve to win the finals and win the championship, and we’ll do everything we can to make that happen.”
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