From rough Heat regular season to historic playoff run, Haslem soaking in final weeks of career
Miami Heat icon Udonis Haslem’s final NBA season was just minutes from ending without a playoff appearance.
Just about four weeks ago, the Heat found itself trailing the Chicago Bulls by three points with three minutes left in the fourth quarter of the final Eastern Conference play-in game before rallying to qualify for the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. A loss would have ended the Heat’s season without a playoff berth for the first time since the 2018-19 season and just the fifth time in Haslem’s 20-year NBA career.
“Nah, I’m too stuck in the moment and everything that is going on and the coaching and the adjustments and the encouragement and all that other stuff,” Haslem said to the Miami Herald when asked if the possibility of not making the playoffs in his final NBA season crossed his mind during that mid-April play-in game.
“I really don’t have time to focus on that when I’m in the moment. If the outcome would have been different, it would have hit me at the end of the game.”
Instead of going out without a trip to the playoffs, Haslem’s career will end after a playoff run that’s already historic. The Heat is just the second No. 8 seed in league history to make the conference finals and is working to become the first No. 8 seed to win the NBA championship.
“It’s important to end my career in a positive way,” Haslem said ahead of Game 1 of the East finals on Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. “But also it’s important to have a winning season, a successful season. You struggle with the balance of those things. It’s not about me even though it is my last year. We got work to do, we got a job to do, which is go out there and play for a championship.”
Undrafted out of Florida in 2002, Haslem has played a role on each of the franchise’s three championship teams in 2006, 2012 and 2013 and is the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder. He’s the only undrafted player in NBA history to lead a franchise in total rebounds.
But Haslem has not been a rotation regular for the last few seasons of his playing career, instead making an impact with his leadership as the Heat’s longtime captain. The feeling that the team was underachieving frustrated him at times during the regular season.
“I just didn’t want to underachieve,” Haslem said. “It wasn’t really about how we go out. It’s really about underachieving and not reaching our maximum potential. That’s what I would hate to do any year is underachieve.”
Haslem, who turns 43 on June 9, said he has spent the past few weeks during the Heat’s improbable playoff run “talking to everybody” and “just keeping everyone encouraged and leading the way.”
From underachieving and nearly missing the playoffs to a historic playoff run as a No. 8 seed, Haslem has a lot to smile about in the final weeks of his NBA career.
“You never take these moments for granted,” Haslem said. “Even if we didn’t make it this far, I would still figure out a way to be happy about the way my career ended. It has been an amazing, amazing career.”
BUTLER’S TIME
During his four seasons with the Heat, Butler has averaged 21.5 points per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the field in the regular season.
In those four seasons, Butler has elevated his game to average 25 points per game on 49 percent shooting from the field in the playoffs.
During this year’s playoffs, Butler entered the East finals averaging 31.1 points per game on 52.7 percent shooting from the field.
Why do the playoffs consistently bring the best out of Butler?
“Because it’s the most competitive time of the year,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. “As a competitor, he’s one of those guys that competes in literally everything. Cards, UNO games, whatever game is played, he’s just the ultimate competitor. Having a guy like that on your team, you feel good about every situation you’re going to be in. He brings the best out of himself in these moments.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Has coach Erik Spoelstra played tape of the Heat’s Game 7 loss to the Celtics from last year’s East finals as motivation for his players?
“I’m not,” Spoelstra said. “We have a very motivated group. No, I don’t see a need for that. I think that’s been played out. We’re looking forward to the challenge this year and the opportunity that we have right in front of us.”
▪ The only Heat players ruled out for Game 1 of the East finals are guards Tyler Herro (right hand surgery) and Victor Oladipo (left knee surgery).
The only Celtics player ruled out for Game 1 is forward Danilo Gallinari, who has not played this season after tearing the ACL in his left knee last offseason.
