Dave Hyde: Do you believe in Butler and Bam (and Herro)? A Heat play-in night with all the answers

MIAMI — This column planned to frame Tyler Herro as the X-factor to the Miami Heat’s play-in game and, thus, its season.

The idea was to look at Wednesday’s play-in game in Philadelphia through Herro’s re-arrived offense. It was to say his re-emergence from this latest injury is what this point-challenged team needs.

But then Heat coach Erik Spoelstra looked down to the other end of the court Tuesday afternoon where the last player still practicing, Jimmy Butler, was shooting free throws. And who was kidding whom? This team’s identity is as obvious as Spoelstra’s words are repetitive.

“We follow our leaders,’’ Spoelstra said. “We follow Jimmy. We follow Bam (Adebayo).”

They followed them to the Eastern Conference finals in three of the past four seasons. They followed them to the NBA Finals in two of those years. They also followed them through another unsatisfying regular season where, well, something else followed them, too. A question.

Do you still believe in Jimmy and Bam?

Not just one of them. Both of them. Together. At this team’s core. Because your answer defines how you stand on this team entering a Wednesday game that really is its season. There’s no other way to consider it.

Win and the Heat opens the playoffs against a beatable New York Knicks team and they can have a playoff run. Lose and the best option is they open the playoffs against a dominant Boston team and face an early summer.

So, again, do you believe in Jimmy and Bam?

The Heat isn’t just them. They’re also Caleb Martin’s toughness or Kevin Love’s steadying presence. But there’s no question where it starts and, if you believe in Butler and Adebayo, you think they can step into a tough Philadelphia venue and leave with a win. They’ve done it before. At Boston in Game 7 last season. At Philadelphia to close that series in Game 6 the previous year.

“We’ve won a lot of big games,’’ Adebayo said. “We understand what it takes.”

If you don’t believe in them, you center on their 0-13 record this season against the top six teams in the league. You wonder if Butler, at 34, can flip the switch like he has in previous playoffs, although you haven’t seen that game much over another regular season.

You wonder, too, how Adebayo measures up against Philadelphia’s 7-foot Joel Embiid. That’s in part because Embiid played just one of the teams’ four meetings this season. It’s also because Adebayo’s numbers dipped in these teams’ playoff series two years ago nearly three points a game, to 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.

Then again, Embiid’s output dipped double figures down to 19.8 points a game and 9.8 rebounds.

“You can’t expect it to be easy,’’ Spoelstra said. “They’re a good team. We’re a good team. He can score at all three levels and draw fouls, puts a ton of pressure on your defense and then defensively, he does a really good job of protecting the paint, protecting the rim for them.”

Sure, throw Herro in the conversation with Butler and Adebayo, too. He’s averaged 21 points in the six games since returning from the same injury he had as a rookie. He missed 20 games and only played 42 this year. He was hurt diving for a ball in the opening minutes of the playoffs last year.

“I feel good when I’m out there,’’ Herro said. “I was playing really good earlier this year and got hurt. I just need to stay out there.”

Everyone knows Butler, Adebayo and Herro don’t form The Big Three this team once had. The Little Three has had its big moments, though, beginning with that run to the Bubble Finals during the pandemic.

Now they face a referendum. Sports is a result-oriented business. They need a result Wednesday night to give them a chance these playoffs or else they might face a summer in which the Heat attempt to make over the roster. That’s for later.

For now, there’s a night in Philadelphia, with so much on the line.

“We’ve talked all season about how we’re built for the playoff,’’ Herro said. “And now we’re here. There’s no more talking.”

There’s just following the leaders to wherever this season goes.