Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat made one of the more improbable runs to the Finals that we have seen in recent NBA history. They began as a play-in team whose reward for qualifying was a date with the #1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks, against whom they wound up pulling off a historical upset. They were able to beat the rival Boston Celtics on their path as well, but came up short against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets in the Finals to end the miracle run.
Miami Heat Will Be In The Finals Again, Jimmy Butler Predicts
Jimmy Butler was reminded as he was walking out the press room that there’s 81 more games:
“81? You’ll be seeing me for 97.”
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) October 26, 2023
But according to Butler, the Heat are going to be playing for the championship again come June 2024.
Butler has always been one for predictions. He called plenty of his shots during the run by the Heat last postseason, predicting wins and success while being a heavy underdog throughout the process. His luck ran dry in the Finals, though, a series that he assured the media Miami would win.
He’s back to his old ways. The Heat took on the Pistons to open their season on Wednesday, and they were surprised by a solid performance by Detroit and Cade Cunningham. Miami won by just one point after being favored by 9.5, though there didn’t seem to be too much concern from Butler in his postgame press conference. He answered the usual questions, but left the media room with a quote that sounds a lot like yet another prediction. When reminded that Miami still has 81 games to play, Butler responded with the following:
81? You’ll be seeing me for 97.
Of course, 97 would be the 81 regular season games plus the 16 postseason victories necessary to take home an NBA Championship.
Do Butler And Company Have What It Takes This Year?
Jimmy Butler after the Heat’s close 103-102 win vs. Detroit 🗣
“[Pistons are] good. I’d like to think that they’ll only gonna get better… They’re young but they’re confident… I’m Looking forward to competing against them. It makes me feel young again. ”
(via… pic.twitter.com/1ATXA7Mbsz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 26, 2023
But do the Miami Heat have what it takes this year? There were high hopes that Pat Riley and company would be able to land a star player during the off-season to pair with Butler and match his championship window, but they would up striking out across the board, most notably with Damian Lillard. The roster appears to be weakened at first glance given the departures of some of the team’s key role players, and it would be unlikely for the team to make another deep run with the roster as it is currently constructed.
But things can change throughout the course of the season, and Riley will certainly be working the phones from now until the trade deadline. The Heat are currently listed at +2500 on the odds board to win the NBA Finals, tied with 3 other teams for the 7th shortest designation.
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