Earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference did little to quell doubt as to whether the Miami Heat are actually the East’s best team. There’s no shortage of people who believe the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks are still the team to beat…or the Boston Celtics, or the Philadelphia 76ers. Even the No. 7 Brooklyn Nets are being given a chance.
I’m here to say it’s about time we start putting a little more respect on the team that actually finished No. 1 – especially after what we just saw from Jimmy Butler in Tuesday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks. He scored 45 points on 60% shooting in a performance we haven’t seen from him since the 2020 bubble postseason when the Heat reached the NBA Finals.
