The Miami Heat can advance to the NBA Finals if, or when, they eliminate the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
They currently lead the series 3-0 and have an opportunity to sweep Boston in Game 4 on Tuesday.
If or when Miami reaches the championship series, its chances of winning will hinge on the availability of guard Tyler Herro, who has been out 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, though he has made progress in his recovery.
Erik Spoelstra says there is no timetable for Tyler Herro’s return, but he has a brace and is continuing his rehab.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 23, 2023
It’s astonishing that the Heat have come this far, especially without Herro.
They faced the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that had just won the world championship two years earlier, in the first round of the playoffs, and were considered strong underdogs.
But they managed to sweep the Bucks, who had the league’s best record in the regular season, in five games.
Miami then swept the New York Knicks in the next round in five games while the frontline was greatly shortened.
Herro is a very important member of the team, as he is their only consistent offensive threat off the dribble other than Jimmy Butler.
He averaged 20.1 points a game in the regular season after moving into the starting lineup permanently following his Sixth Man of the Year win last year.
The Denver Nuggets, who advanced to the NBA Finals out of the Western Conference, will be very difficult to beat, even with a healthy Hero, but the Heat have been there and done that before.
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The Heat are one win away from overcoming incredible odds to reach the final