Miami Heat: Tyler Herro has become the team’s most important player vs. Boston
Tyler Herro has been vital to the Miami Heat in the ECF
A little more than a year ago, when the Miami Heat selected Tyler Herro with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, many Heat fans were quick to throw their heads back in disgust. A shooter. The Heat, with another lottery pick, took a shooter.
Over the last year, though, Herro has continually proven those naysayers (including myself) wrong. On Wednesday night, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Herro turned in his most impressive performance of his career – and arguably the most impressive performance from a rookie in the conference finals ever – on the biggest stage.
Not only did Herro lead all scores with 37, but he was also the heartbeat of the Heat’s offense for most of the night. Even in a lackadaisical first half (from both teams), it was Herro who helped keep the Heat afloat. Herro had 15 points, to lead all scores, in the first half.
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However, it was in the second half where Herro really took off. Herro scored 22 in the second half, including a sensational fourth quarter in which he almost single-handedly helped the Heat hold of Boston during the final minutes of the game. Herro finished with 17 points in the fourth quarter alone.
On a night where both Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic shot under 40 percent from the field and when it seemed like neither Jae Crowder nor Duncan Robinson could hit a 3-point jumper if their lives depended on it (they shot a combined 1-11 from 3 in Game 4), it was Herro that rose up when the team needed him most.
If scoring 37 points off the bench wasn’t impressive enough, Herro added six rebounds and three assists while being one of the team’s main offensive initiators in the fourth quarter. Perhaps most importantly, he also took the role of saving the Heat on lost possessions late in the shot clock.
When Miami needed a bailout, they turned to their 20-year-old podigy. Herro, who just a few months ago, was considered just a shooter put on display on national television that he’s so much more than that. He’s a future star. He was cool, calm, and collected. He couldn’t be stopped by anything the Celtics threw at him, inlcuding Marcus Smart late in the game.
Herro’s entire bag was a full dispaly in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against one of the most storied franchise in NBA history. His big, clutch game has the Heat within one game of their first NBA Finals appearence in the post-LeBron James era. Ironically enough, it might be against LeBron James himself.
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The Miami Heat still have to finish off the Celtics. They get their first chance to do so in Game 5. And based on what we’ve seen thus far in the NBA playoffs, a 3-1 lead is anything but a death setence. If the Heat finish of the Celtics and advance to the NBA Finals, there’s no question Tyler Herro will have a big hand in doing so. He is for real, and he is sensational.