Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant shared the “major reason” why he believes the Miami Heat made the NBA Finals in the 2022-23 season.
Durant pointed to the team’s 3-point shooting as a key for its run through the Eastern Conference.
The Heat finished No. 1 in the NBA in the playoffs in 3-point percentage at 38.0 percent in the 2022-23 season. The team averaged 12.8 made shots from beyond the arc as well, which was good for fifth among all playoff teams.
Players like Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Haywood Highsmith and Duncan Robinson all had moments where they knocked down big shots for the Heat to help Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the offensive end.
Miami also played strong defense in the playoffs, ranking eighth among all playoff teams in defensive rating at 111.9. However, it’s hard to dispute that the team shot the ball at an extremely strong clip on its playoff run.
The Heat entered the postseason as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, but a loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament forced Miami to play for the No. 8 seed against the Chicago Bulls.
The team won that game, setting up a first-round matchup with the No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat took advantage of an injury to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to win the series in five games, and then they knocked out the New York Knicks in the second round in six games.
From there, the Heat beat the Boston Celtics in seven games to advance to the NBA Finals where they eventually lost to the Denver Nuggets.
Miami’s 3-point shooting dipped in the Finals to just 34.3 percent. Still, the team made an impressive run, becoming just the second No. 8 seed in league history to make the NBA Finals.
Durant and the Suns also lost to Denver in the playoffs, but it’s interesting to see his take on the Heat’s playoff run. The former MVP is usually very active on social media with fans, so it’s not a huge surprise that he chimed in on this conversation.
The Heat are hoping they can get over the hump in the 2023-24 season and capture an NBA title after making the Finals in two of the last four seasons.