The longest season in NBA history has come to an end with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers winning the 17th championship in franchise history. They knocked off the upstart Miami Heat who entered the NBA Finals as the 5 seed and with an unsung group of characters.
The Heat were led by former Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler and a cast of players who would not be recognizable by the casual NBA fan before this playoff run and they made it all the way to the Finals. The Sixers were a team that was much more talented, at least on paper, and they were swept in Round 1, albeit without Ben Simmons.
Bubble or no bubble, what the Heat did in the 2020 playoffs was nothing short of extraordinary and the Sixers can take a few lessons from their playoff run.
1.) The importance of a culture and an identity
One word that was thrown around so much during Miami’s run was “culture”. The Heat really pride themselves on coming to work every day and holding each other accountable. It was something Butler touched on just before the Finals began as the difference between Miami and Philadelphia. Josh Richardson, who spent his first four seasons in Miami, knows all about that and he spoke about a lack of accountability all season. The Sixers need to find that same type of hard-working culture as well as finding an identity to truly step forward and become a cohesive unit.
2.) The importance of shooters
The Sixers made it clear that they had their eyes on the Milwaukee Bucks and stopping league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo so they decided to go big and let JJ Redick walk, along with Butler. That was a clear mistake. Other than the brilliance of Butler, the Heat rode a stable of shooters such as Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder, and others. General manager Elton Brand should have shooters in bold print and red underlined as he gets set for the offseason.
3.) The importance of a closer
While Butler and the Sixers were definitely not right for each other, his play in these playoffs showed Philadelphia why they need a go-to guy in the clutch. Tobias Harris is a fine player who will be used differently under new coach Doc Rivers, but he is not a legitimate closer the way Butler is. The Sixers are not in a position to make a major move in the offseason so it will be on Harris and the continued development of Simmons to be able to find that closer down the stretch of games. [lawrence-related id=38290,38283,38285]