ASK IRA: Do NBA Finals show Heat have to find multiple scorers?

Q: Ira, the Celtics have their two Js (Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum) and the Mavericks have Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. The Heat don’t even have one player who scores that much. So how can we expect them to win? – Tomas.

A: I guess the counter would be that the Heat have not had that level of dual scoring since the Big Three era and since have made the Eastern Conference finals three times. There are multiple ways to win in the NBA. The problem is that attempting to do it the hard way is that it requires more than just dual individual brilliance. By now, it is apparent that Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo or even Jimmy Butler are not high-volume scorers of the frequency of Brown, Tatum, Irving or Doncic, Sunday night’s game notwithstanding. That is among the reasons Terry Rozier was brought in. It is why the Heat last summer so vigorously pursued Damian Lillard and why this summer’s name of the hour could be Donovan Mitchell. To get two dynamic scorers, you first have to get one.

Q: I have said since the press conference that I think Pat Riley has already moved on from Jimmy Butler in his plans and will move him as soon as possible. And I think Butler may suspect the same thing. – Mark.

A: What I think Pat Riley did was plant a seed of doubt in the case Jimmy Butler proves unwilling to compromise when it comes to an extension or willingness to increase his availability. By contrast, Jimmy Butler has done what he always does, move on to the next thing in his life without otherwise displaying a care in the world. I believe the basketball term for it is called passive aggressiveness.

Q: Jimmy Butler might overtake Michael Beasley for the most Ask Ira questions. – Stuart.

A: Perhaps eventually. But between the questions ahead of the 2008 draft. the questions of how he was utilized by Erik Spoelstra, the questions of letting him go to facilitate the Big Three era and then Michael Beasley’s reunion tours, Jimmy Butler remains in chase mode in that regard. But Jimmy arguably already has positioned himself as the Heat’s biggest talking point since Hassan Whiteside.