NBA Rumors: Rivals Call Heat's Run to 2023 NBA Finals 'A Fluke' During Assessment

The Miami Heat went from the play-in tournament to the NBA Finals, but some executives around the league reportedly don't think there were many lessons to be learned and applied to their own teams.

"For some executives, the answer was very little," ESPN's Zach Lowe wrote. "The Heat's run, the thinking went, was some combination of a fluke and a reversion to normal for a team that had gone cold from 3-point range all season."

Part of that "fluke" run involved Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffering an injury during the first round, which sidelined him for some of the series and may have limited him as it progressed.

There was also the reality that Miami hit 38 percent of its triples in the playoffs after connecting on just 34 percent in the regular season, which was 27th in the league. Some of that was surely lucky, although the Heat led the league at 38 percent the prior season.

Regardless of the thoughts around the league, it was still an impressive run.

Jimmy Butler consistently put the team on his back, a number of role players delivered in key moments, and the team even won Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics on the road despite losing Games 4-6 and nearly blowing a 3-0 lead.

The result was a second NBA Finals appearance in four years, although the team's last championship came in 2013 when LeBron James was leading the way.

Miami may need to make a notable addition this offseason if it is going to get over the hump and win the title in 2024.