Miami plays host to Chicago, and the motto is “win or go home”.
Friday night, the Miami Heat will play host to the Chicago Bulls in a crucial play-in tournament match. The victor of this match will receive the eighth seed and will play the Boston Celtics, who are seeded first in the first round of the playoffs. But with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro looking to step up, they will be without their primary man, Jimmy Butler, who will be sidelined for several weeks due to an MCL sprain, and Terry Rozier.
In the Wednesday night loss, Butler was hurt near the end of the first quarter after landing awkwardly on Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr.
Although he played 40 minutes that game despite being clearly in discomfort, Adebayo will be out for a long time because, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, he and Herro have a “opportunity” to win big for Miami this Friday.
We have this opportunity,” Adebayo declared. This has always happened in brief bursts for us. However, this is our current opportunity.
Adebayo remarked, “Jimmy is going to be Jimmy,” in reference to Butler lending the squad support. “He will continue to stand beside us. For us, it just means getting outside, locking in, and supporting one another.
Tyler Herro discusses the Heat’s season-long injury worries
After Butler’s injury hindered him, the Heat turned to Herro for their offensive production. Herro had a mixed effort, making nine of his 27 field goal attempts while committing five turnovers. He finished with 25 points and nine assists. According to Chiang, the 24-year-old stated that injuries have been a recurring theme for them this entire season and referred to it as a “regular game.”
Our season has essentially gone like this the entire year, Herro remarked. “Guys have come and gone from the starting lineup. Therefore, to be honest, it’s kind of a routine game for us.
Erik Spoelstra, the head coach of the Heat, has said “we have enough” repeatedly this season and elsewhere, and it perfectly captures the next man-up philosophy. With 35 different starting lineups this season, Miami ranked sixth in terms of most missed games. Star Caleb Martin noted that while Butler’s injury is undoubtedly a “big hit,” he emphasizes that they have plenty of opportunities to win, which is “part of our culture.”
“JB [Butler’s] downfall is obviously a major blow,” Martin remarked. But we’ve had enough, as the coach has said. There is more than enough for us. Guys need to step up when they fall; that’s a necessary part of the game, as we’ve demonstrated in the past.That’s part of our culture, too. So there’s no excuses and we’ll be ready to play.”
When the club plays the Bulls, who defeated the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, the season will undoubtedly be on the line on Friday night. If you’re experiencing déjà vu, it’s understandable because Miami defeated Chicago in the second play-in game and advanced to the NBA Finals.Fans of the Heat are hopeful that history will repeat itself.
