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The Miami Heat may hold a two-one series lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, but with game four set to take place at the TD Garden on May 23, the series is still wide open.
Unfortunately for the Heat, they will be without Sixth-Man-of-the-Year Tyler Herro, who was ruled out due to a groin injury, leaving the Heat’s bench rotation short-handed. Furthermore, Herro is one of the better half-court creators on the Heat’s roster, and his absence will hit the team hard should the Celtics come out with a sense of urgency on the defensive end.
Herro has struggled so far in the conference finals; after dropping 18 points in game one of the series, the third-year shooting guard managed just 11 points in game two and eight in game three, as the Celtics have made a point of limiting his scoring opportunities.
While Herro’s absence will undoubtedly hurt Miami’s second unit, it could mean some additional time for Duncan Robinson, who has found himself in a reduced role throughout the post-season following an uninspiring season where the sharpshooter has failed to reach his usual levels of play.
Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry Are Gametime Decisions
On top of Herro’s confirmed absence, the Heat will also be sweating on Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry’s availability. The team’s injury report notes that both will dress for the game and go through warm-ups before a final decision is made on their participation.
Butler has been one of the best players of the 2022 NBA post-season and, without Herro, will be Miami’s core half-court initiator, especially while Lowry continues to ramp back up to game speed.
Outside of their two veteran stars, the Heat will also be waiting to decide on Max Strus and Gabe Vincent – two of the team’s younger players who have been proving their worth throughout the season. In fact, Vincent has been rather impactful for the Heat in the conference finals, averaging 11.3 points, 2.3 assists, and two rebounds per game on 45.8% shooting and 47.1% from three-point land.
Miami Cooked Boston in Game Three
Despite the injury concerns heading into game four, the Miami will enter their May 23 game full of confidence after snatching the momentum from Boston’s clutches courtesy of an impressive first half in which they outscored the Celtics 62-47.
“I mean, mentally-wise, I feel like everybody walked into this arena locked in from the jump. Just having that bounce-back mentality and being able to execute and finish the game, I feel like that’s a plus for us,” Bam Adebayo told reporters following the Heat’s victory on May 21.
Following their game three win, the Heat is just two victories away from making the NBA finals and will be looking to take full control of the series in game four. Still, without Herro and with a less-than-full-strength version of Butler, Lowry, Vincent, and Strus, they’re going to have their work cut out for them.
Boston has become synonymous with bouncing back after a tough loss and will be looking to stay true to form in front of their home fans, especially since game five will be played back in Miami. Neither team can afford to drop any more home games, as with each loss, the pressure rises.
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