Could Last Season’s Miami Heat Defeat The 2020 Finals Team?

Last year's Miami Heat team and 2020 team both made impressive Finals runs as lower-end seeds

Last season’s and the 2020 Miami Heat rosters came up short in the NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, respectively. 

While the core duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo remained consistent, the supporting cast underwent changes.

So how about a playful debate about which team would win? 

The Heat ended the "bubble" 2020 season with a 44-29 record, placing them as the fifth seed. Miami cruised to the Eastern Conference finals, sweeping the Indiana Pacers and gentlemen sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks. In the conference finals, they were met by the Jayson Tatum-led Boston Celtics, who put up a strong effort but were defeated in six games. Butler and the Heat lost to the No. 1 seed Lakers in six games.

This team’s depth was placed on rookies Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn, sophomore Duncan Robinson along with veterans Goran Dragić and Andre Iguodola.

Last year’s Heat roster had one of the most improbable playoff runs in history. Their path was far more difficult as a No. 8 seed, upsetting the Bucks in the first round. From there, Miami took down the New York Knicks and Celtics in tough series. However, for the second time in four years, they lost to the Nuggets in five games.

The distinguishing factors lie in the development of Tyler Herro, the unanticipated contributions from undrafted players Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, and the veteran presence of Kevin Love and Kyle Lowry. This is not to overlook the growth of Butler and Adebayo.

The upper hand in this battle goes to last year’s roster, predominantly attributed to Butler and Adebayo’s jumps coinciding with a superior and further developed cast.

HEAT-RELATED STORIES

Dwyane Wade carried the 2008 Olympic team. CLICK HERE

Heat will face 76ers on Christmas Day. CLICK HERE

Nikola Jovic looking for a breakout in his second season. CLICK HERE

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at anthonypasciolla36@gmail.com or follow him on Tik Tok @anthonysports_