A Walk Through the 2nd Day of Miami Heat Practice Before Playoffs

As the Heat completed their second day of practice before the start of the first round series Sunday at 1 pm, the goals of this team are clear:

Forgetting the past.

By that I don’t just mean leaving the negative stuff behind them, such as the sweep against the Milwaukee Bucks a year ago in the first round. It’s also about leaving the good stuff for when it really happened.

When Jimmy Butler was asked about some of the similarities between this team and the one that made the late push in the bubble, he quickly brushed them off.

He quickly made sure to note that this is a completely different team, which in many cases is true.

It may be a different team, but it’s the same Jimmy Butler. Going at it on the other side of the practice court in a king of the court session with Heat veteran Udonis Haslem and young two-way Javonte Smart.

Yelling, competing, exchanging words after stops or buckets…

JB X UD pic.twitter.com/einSu86nZi

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) April 14, 2022

Some Jimmy Butler-Udonis Haslem 1v1s pic.twitter.com/w36To3fp3h

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) April 14, 2022

He loves to battle, and he leans towards guys that love to battle as much as him. One being Haslem, who we all know. And two being Smart.

I asked Butler after practice about Smart’s potential in general after battling with him. “He’s a really good player, he works incredibly hard,”Butler says, then follows that up with: “He can’t guard me 1-on-1.”

Those are the type of words from Butler when you know somebody’s legate. When they are tough enough to compete, and already getting slandered in a fun way, they’re on the path from two-way to a normal contract.

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Now, if you’re looking to cement some bets on the Heat’s +1200 championship odds, the first bet promos for Caesars Sportsbook will give you an advantage on that bet because if it doesn’t play out accordingly, you’ll at least be getting your wager back in credit. Though, if you’re not the one that’s confident on that specific bet, just know that Tyler Herro is focused on shifting the future.

I asked Herro after practice about the major differences in his game when zooming out, comparing where he stood entering that Bucks series last year compared to now.

“I’ll be much better this playoffs, I’m sure of that.”

Not only is Herro ramping up right about now, but Kyle Lowry is piecing stuff together as well.

I asked Erik Spoelstra if he’s noticed an uptick with Lowry’s approach at this moment in time, where he highlighted one word to describe the main area that he’s been elevating:

“Detail.”

And well, that’s Kyle Lowry. You’re getting a much improved Herro, but the way for that to all fit in place is for Lowry to settle them, and provide that detail in every inch of practice and the game.

Finally, and most important of them all, I had to ask the important stuff to Butler as this will be his last time speaking to media before Sunday’s game.

After consistently saying the shooting sleeve is the reason for his hot shooting down the stretch of the season, I asked if it would be making a playoff appearance.

“I don’t know, I gotta find a way to keep my teammates smiling. So maybe double sleeve like Jae Crowder does it, who knows.”

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