One constant in this string of Heat home playoff losses: poor three-point shooting. Miami shot 31.4 percent and 32 percent on threes in its Game 3 and 4 home losses to Denver in the NBA Finals last June. Miami shot 9 for 28 on threes (32.1 percent) in Game 3 against Boston on Saturday.

If they won, the Heat would have played the Knicks in the first round. The Knicks are coached by Tom Thibodeau, who was Butler's coach when he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2011. Instead, the Heat played the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But as was apparent against the Celtics, he didn’t have a lot of help. A healthy Butler will boost the Heat, but they need more. “The consistency [offensively] became a challenge to overcome,” Spoelstra said.

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has never been one to hold his tongue when talking about the opposition. He recently went to social media to discuss what would've happened if he were healthy to face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

During his time with the Miami Heat, known for his defensive prowess, provided veteran leadership and crucial contributions off the bench. Joining the team in the 2005-2006 season