The Heat have shocked the basketball world this postseason, becoming the sixth No. 8 seed to take down a No. 1 seed and keeping that momentum going all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Despite losing star guard Tyler Herro in Game 1 of their first round series, Miami was able to overcome the absence of its third-leading scorer to send Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, and Jalen Brunson and the Knicks home early.
Miami is now one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals after taking a 3-0 series lead against the Boston Celtics. Will Herro be available for the Heat moving forward?
The Sporting News has the latest updates below.
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What is Tyler Herro’s injury?
Herro suffered a right hand injury when he was diving for a loose ball in the second quarter of Game 1 between the Heat and Bucks.
Tyler Herro broke his right hand on this play in the 2nd quarter.
He will not return. pic.twitter.com/4uAQxVcJN8
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) April 16, 2023
He played the remainder of the half, but he ran into the locker room as soon as the buzzer sounded. Just before the second half resumed, the Heat announced that Herro broke his right hand.
#MIAvsMIL INJURY UPDATE: Tyler Herro (broken right hand) will not return to tonight’s game vs the Bucks.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 16, 2023
How long will Tyler Herro be out?
At the time of the injury, Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported the star guard would be out for “approximately 4-6 weeks” with a broken middle finger and ring finger on his shooting hand.
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro broke the middle and ring finger on his shooting hand and is expected to be out approximately 4-6 weeks, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 17, 2023
Following the surgery, Herro was wearing a brace, which was removed ahead of the Heat’s Game 3 win, as reported by Allie LaForce on the TNT broadcast.
Tyler Herro doing basketball things! With his left hand. pic.twitter.com/9DETnMQ9zy
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) May 19, 2023
On May 24, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Herro had been cleared to resume non-contact court work. He can now begin using his shooting hand again in drills, potentially even getting some shots up in practice.
However, that marks only the start of the process for him to return in competition. His initial timeline according to the Heat was to miss a “minimum of six weeks.” As of May 25, it will have been five weeks since his surgery.
Still, things have progressed enough that there remains a chance he could return to the floor for the NBA Finals — if the Heat qualify, of course. That series will begin on June 1 and could last until June 18 if it goes seven games.
Heat vs. Celtics playoff series schedule
Here is the complete schedule for the Eastern Conference Finals series between Boston and Miami:
| Date | Game | Time (ET)/Result | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, May 17 | Game 1 | Heat 123, Celtics 116 | TNT |
| Friday, May 19 | Game 2 | Heat 111, Celtics 105 | TNT |
| Sunday, May 21 | Game 3 | Heat 128, Celtics 102 | TNT |
| Tuesday, May 23 | Game 4 | Celtics 116, Heat 99 | TNT |
| Thursday, May 25 | Game 5 | 8:30 p.m. at Celtics | TNT |
| Saturday, May 27 | Game 6* | 8:30 p.m. at Heat | TNT |
| Monday, May 29 | Game 7* | 8:30 p.m. at Celtics | TNT |
*If necessary
