Pat Riley & Miami’s FO Slapped With Reality As Jimmy Butler Absence Vs Warriors Exposes Glaring Truth

The Golden State Warriors completely outplayed the Miami Heat tonight. The Florida side stepped on the court without Jimmy Butler and missed him throughout the game. Apart from Bam Adebayo, the entire roster struggled to get buckets. On the other hand, the Dubs, who needed a desperate win, capitalized it on the shorthanded Heat. However, it didn’t sit well with the critics as they turned it up against the Heat president Pat Riley, and the front office.

Naveen Ganglani, a content creator, took to his X and spoke for the Heat Nation. He wrote, “Jimmy Butler’s individual brilliance (in the playoffs) has masked what an awful job the front office has done putting this team together. I’m giving credit to the coaching staff for the players’ development. Bro I just want Jimmy and Bam to win a ring.”

The Heat did pull off a miracle in the last season. They were the last entrant in the 2023 playoffs and surprisingly sent the first-seeding Milwaukee Bucks home in the first round. And they continued to decimate the East and entered the Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Throughout the playoffs, it was Jimmy Butler, who single-handedly took the team to the Finals, averaging 27 points.

However, the same trick didn’t work in the Finals. Butler and Bam Adebayo didn’t get enough support from their teammates to control the physically dominant Nuggets. Nikola Jokić & Co took home an easy 4-1 win. As Ganglani referred in his post, Butler’s brilliance masked the team’s underwhelming roster. Apart from the superstar deals like LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, the Heat’s front office hasn’t made any dramatic trade in this decade and it has been impacting Jimmy Butler’s efforts. Tonight’s game can stand as proof of the Heat’s performance without Butler.

Heat’s record without Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat has struggled to win games without Butler. This season, the Heat played 22 games without the star forward and lost 9 of them. Moreover, it only managed to score at an average of 109 points per game, and whenever Butler has played, they score at an average of 110.3 points per game.

The Florida side is currently in the 7th seed with a 39-33 record, fighting with the Pacers for the 6th seed. This hasn’t been the case for this season alone, but for the last three seasons. Last campaign, the team played 18 games without Butler and lost 9. In the 2021-22 season; they lost 10 games in his absence. The instance highlights the need for the Miami front office to push themselves in the summer and stack their team with some more talents.

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