ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had a matter-of-fact response to why the Miami Heat won’t make it back to the NBA Finals next season.
The Brooklyn Nets will get superstar Kevin Durant back from a torn Achilles that sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season.
In addition, Brooklyn lost star guard Kyrie Irving for much of the season due to injury. Irving did not participate in the NBA’s restart in Orlando, Fla.
The Heat made it to the Finals this past season despite being the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, with Durant and Irving presumably healthy for the 2020-21 campaign, it should make Miami’s path to another Finals appearance much tougher.
Still, Miami has shown it can beat star talent, as it upset Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs this past season.
Smith may believe the duo of Irving and Durant is destined for a title run, but Miami certainly won’t be a pushover come playoff time.