Celtics

The Celtics have ‘ended the Heat as we know them,’ says Dan LeBatard

"That Celtics team has gotten a good deal better and is younger"

By Khari Thompson

May 2, 2024

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Did the Celtics’ victory in Game 5 of their opening-round series with the Heat end Miami’s championship window with Jimmy Butler?

That’s what Meadowlark Media’s Dan LeBatard said during a recent episode of the LeBatard Show.

“When you’ve got two straight seasons as the equivalent of the eight-seed and then the top of the conference gets so much better than what you’re presently offering, LeBatard said. “The Butler window just closed, and you’ve got to see that if you’re the organization two years faster than I can see it. The Celtics just ended the Heat as we know them.”

The Celtics and Heat have split their last four playoff series. The Heat won in 2020 and 2023, the Celtics won in 2022 and 2024.

But, the Celtics have ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference standings while the Heat have barely squeaked into the playoffs the past few seasons.

Miami managed to make the NBA Finals after beating the Celtics last year, but the gap appears to be widening in favor of Boston according to LeBatard.

“That Celtics team has gotten a good deal better and is younger,” LeBatard said of the Heat. “You’ve fallen behind them in a way that requires more than just tweaks.”

One of those tweaks may be rethinking Butler’s role as he ages, LeBatard said.

The Heat need more firepower, and leaning into a 35-year-old as a No. 1 option might not be the best move to address that, he said.

“It’s not just tweaks, it is obvious that if Tyler Herro isn’t going to rise to be a player like [Tyrese] Maxey it is then obvious that the player you have to get for 35-year-old Jimmy Butler is someone who is better than Jimmy Butler so that if he’s going to age here, he’s not going to do so as the lead player.”