Pall is cast over Miami Heat postseason as reports of Jimmy Butler injury changes everything | Opinion

Welcome to Sports Psychology 101, the study of human nature as applied to basketball.

Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs. (Probably. Well, maybe...)

We were headed there Wednesday night when the Heat lost their play-in game in Philadelphia, 105-104.

That meant the 76ers clinched the No. 7 playoff seed and a first-round date with the New York Knicks. Had Miami won it would have been Heat-Knicks -- also a great matchup with rivalry leanings. Heat-Knicks was Miami’s early-era rivalry, back when Pat Riley was new in town and Alonzo Mourning’s scowl was the face of the franchise.

Instead, the result meant the Heat is relegated to a winner-take-all Friday night game in Miami vs. the Chicago Bulls, who advanced later Wednesday night by beating visiting Atlanta. The Miami-Chicago winner will earn the dubious right to face the mighty Celtics -- best team in the NBA this season -- in the first round.

The context of everything changed dramatically Thursday morning, though, with reports that Heat star Jimmy Butler is expected to be out “several weeks” with an MCL injury to his right knee suffered late in the first quarter Wednesday night. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news.

Butler remained in the game but scored a total of only 12 points the rest of the way on 3-for-14 shooting.

“It felt like I couldn’t do too much, which sucks with the timing of the game and everything,” Butler said after the game. “I hope that I’m fine [for Friday]. I hope that I wake up tomorrow and can still stick-and-move. Right now, I can’t stay that’s the case.”

Miami counted on a reprise of ‘Playoff Jimmy’ to lead an unlikely postseason run, like last year.

Now, his injury throws into doubt even surviving Friday’s second play-in game to reach the Celtics.

The Miami-Philly result is worth briefly exploring. Joel Embiid, obviously still not fully recovered from his knee surgery, scored 23 but was not great on 6-for-17 shooting. Butler, ending with 19 points and limping noticably, was hardly ‘Playoff Jimmy’ -- and we now know why.

The Heat led by as many as 14 points but could not close the deal as Butler struggled and now faces an elimination play-in gamed against Chicago for the second straight year.

The reality is, Wednesday’s result became moot at the final horn. Because all that matters now is what’s next.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra used the loss as a reason to summon Heat Culture. He likes to do that.

“We will do this the hard way,” said Spoelstra, before knowing the severity of Butler’s injury. “That has to be the path right now. We’re going to rest up, treat up, rally around each other, and get ready for Friday. Again, embrace these competitive games. It will be competitive in front of our home fans.”

We assume Miami, in the bayside arena Friday night, will handle the Bulls, but the assumption is hardly safe. The teams split 2-2 in the regular season and were 1-1 in Miami. The Heat is a negligible 1 1/2-point favorite Friday --but that was before the news of Butler’s injury broke and cast a pall on Miami’s outlook.

The assumption of Miami advancing is wishfuil thinking -- because how dare we be denied Heat-Celtics and the next chapter in Miami’s greatest sports rivalry? This is the now-era animus.

The teams have met six times in the postseason and the last four reunions have been for the Eastern Conference championship. Three have gone the full seven games. And Miami has won three of those past four-- including last season, when Boston also was higher-seeded and (supposedly) better but the Heat won.

It may be a media contrivance, but the narrative now would be that the Heat has the Celtics’ number. That all of the pressure will be on Boston, which hasn’t won anything since 2008. Jayson Tatum, are you ready to live up to hype and expectations? Finally? (Are you sure...?)

But Butler’s injury changes much of that, including the idea of a repeat of last year.

A year ago at this time the Heat and Florida Panthers took South Florida sports fans on a double joy ride that lasted two full months. From April 11 through June 13 we watched two teams that were low-seeded and barely in the playoffs at all unexpectedly reach the NBA and NHL championship series before each losing in the finals.

Now both are back at it -- the Heat once more a low seed again relegated to the play-in round, the Panthers this time a division-winning high seed sneaking up on no one.

Florida edged Boston for the division title on the last day of the regular season to draw the rival Tampa Bay Lightning in a tough first-round matchup. Game 1 is a Sunday matinee in Sunrise.

Now the Heat is one home win away from a delicious opening series vs. a Celtics team that -- on paper -- should be favored to win the NBA championship...

...but first must get past their nemesis Heat, the team that lives in their head.

There are so many reasons why we love sports, and Heat-Celtics in the playoffs is right up there.

But ‘Playoff Jimmy’ suddenly erased from the equation changes everything. It casts a pall and now makes this Heat team an underdog like never before.