Congrats to Kendrick Perkins for marking his 40th birthday….
Since Butler moved to Miami prior to the 2019–20 season, the Heat and Celtics have faced off in the playoffs multiple times. They faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019–20 NBA season in Orlando, Florida. Miami prevailed in the series to go to the NBA Finals.
Since then, there have been two more meetings in the Eastern Conference Finals; in the 2021–2022 season, Boston prevailed in seven games. The next season, Miami paid it forward by defeating the Boston Celtics as the eighth-seeded team in the East and moving on to face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals in 2023. A team had to win the whole seven games in that series in order to progress.
Butler was hurt during the Heat’s play-in tournament defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers, which unfortunately meant he couldn’t participate versus Boston. After only dropping Game 2, the Celtics defeated the Heat in five games and went on to win the NBA Finals.
Despite making two trips to the Finals, Miami is still seeking a championship under the Butler administration.
Since Butler and guard Terry Rozier were both sidelined during the playoffs the previous season, the Heat’s health will be crucial.
Although it’s obvious that Perkins respects Miami greatly for its ability to compete with Boston, Heat supporters want to see the team experience the same level of success. If Miami is able to
