The Miami Heat haven’t exactly looked like a team primed to advance deep into the 2025 NBA Playoffs so far this season. Miami sits right at the .500 mark with a record of 3-3 and has lost two of its last three contests.
Jimmy Butler — a linchpin to both of the Heat’s NBA Finals runs since the start of the decade — is also 35 years old and may be running out of time as an elite player.
All things considered, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons seems to believe that the Heat’s most successful days with their current core are behind them.
Bill Simmons says it’s over for the Heat
“I believe it’s over for these guys. I think the league is better and they stayed the same. They just seem like they missed their window, which was a great window btw. Butlers 35, they put lot of eggs in Jovic basket, I’m not seeing it”… pic.twitter.com/aAX9RLVpuP
— Emo Jimmy (@HeatCulture13) November 6, 2024
For as mediocre as the Heat have been to start the new campaign, Miami is still in an enviable spot in the Eastern Conference standings. With teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks underperforming so far, Miami is in a three-way tie with the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets for the third-best record in the conference.
Only two teams in the entire conference, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, have records above the .500 mark right now. The Cavaliers are atop the standings at 8-0, and the Celtics, who have battled the Heat in the playoffs numerous times in recent years, are right behind them with a record of 7-1.
Butler and the Heat have a solid measuring stick game ahead of them. They will take on the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Wednesday with the aim of handing Phoenix just its second loss of the season.
If the Heat can’t come out on top against Kevin Durant and company, Miami will fall to below .500 for the first time since the team lost its season opener against the Magic, something that would only help to validate Simmons’ claims.
The game against Phoenix is the first of a long road trip for the Heat, so they need to be ready. The trip will span six games in total.
