Former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson offered praise for the Miami Heat, stating that the new Eastern Conference champions are representative of what the Los Angeles Clippers were supposed to be this season.
It’s crazy! The Miami Heat are what we thought the Clippers would be. Gritty, well coached, deep and balanced attack… they are a problem! They’ve taken down Celtics and Milwaukee and only lost 3 games this postseason 🤯😱
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) September 28, 2020
The Clippers entered the 2019-20 season as strong favorites to capture the NBA title after having added superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the offseason. In addition, they had head coach Doc Rivers at the helm, a veteran coach who had led the Boston Celtics to an NBA title in 2008.
However, the Clippers saw their season come to an end in the Western Conference semifinals after they blew a 3-1 advantage to the Denver Nuggets.
In contrast to that meltdown, the Heat have largely been dominant through this year’s postseason, starting with a sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the first round.
Next, the Heat dispatched the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, and then eliminated the Celtics on Sunday night. The Bucks had entered the playoffs as the team with the best regular season record for the 2019-20 campaign.
The Heat’s ability to deliver gritty performances in the postseason is largely due to the push provided by Jimmy Butler, who was acquired during the offseason, and the coaching of head coach Erik Spoelstra.
While Jefferson is offering a strong endorsement of the Heat’s chances in the upcoming finals, he very likely will be rooting for their opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers.
That’s because Jefferson’s former teammates LeBron James and J.R. Smith are in position to win a championship ring, something the trio did in 2016.
The retired Jefferson is now a basketball broadcaster who regularly offers his opinion on the NBA. Like fans everywhere, he’ll be watching when Game 1 of the finals tips off on Wednesday night.
