No. 3: Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have been dominant in the Eastern Conference almost all season long. They have been at the top of the standings and will look to finish at the top with six games left to play. Miami is a serious threat to the Bucks and the Eastern Conference as a whole.
The Heat do not have that game-changing superstar like Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo to rely on. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has constructed a lineup that is well-rounded and has a lot of talented players, rather than one dominant game-changer. Spoelstra and the Heat know what a winning culture feels like.
Miami made the NBA Finals in 2020, where they would lose to Lebron James and the LA Lakers. The Heat are looking to make their way back and they have the team to do so.
The roster is filled with selfless players who want to win. Butler is the leading scorer for the Heat with 21.2 points per game. Right behind Butler is Tyler Herro who scores 20.8 points per game coming off the bench. That is why Herro is certainly the lock for Sixth Man of the Year.
Another player who is invaluable to the Heat is Bam Adebayo who is averaging 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He is a smaller center at 6-foot-9, but he plays bigger than he looks and has no trouble competing with the league’s best.
One final piece that makes Miami a threat is Kyle Lowry. He won the NBA Finals in 2019 with the Raptors, and I believe Miami brought him over for his veteran play and championship DNA.