moranelkarifnews : 2025 NBA Playoffs results, highlights, recap April 28, including Playoff Jimmy putting Warriors up 3-1

Almost overlooked on the night is that the Cavaliers advanced and Miami has some questions to answer.

WARRIORS 106, ROCKETS 103 (Golden State leads series 3-1)

The Rockets will regret not winning the one game that Jimmy Butler was out this series with his pelvic contusion, because he returned on Monday and had himself a night.

Butler scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter — including hitting free throws that proved to be the game winners — plus secured the game-sealing rebound. Oh, and he got in Dillon Brooks’ face.

Brandin Podziemski was the other player who earned Golden State this win. He had 26 points, but he was also strong on defense and was the guy doing all the little things all game long that add up to winning a playoff game.

Houston’s offense flowed better in this game because Fred VanVleet was hot (31 points, 8 3-pointers) and Draymond Green sat a lot due to foul trouble. However, in the clutch, Houston faced the same challenge it has all series, the one we all wondered about coming in: Did the Rockets have anyone who could get a bucket in the clutch? Who was the crunch time ball handler and shot creator? Jalen Green was that for one game scoring 38 (and the Rockets won), but he has scored in single digits every other game. Amen Thompson is not that guy, at least not yet. So, it was an Alperen Sengun isolation to try and win the game.

Credit the Rockets for going into these playoffs with this core, wanting to see who would step up, and what holes needed to be filled (it’s what OKC did a season ago). The Rockets got their answer, but finding their own Jimmy Butler this summer will not be easy.

CAVALIERS 138, HEAT 83 (Cavaliers sweep series 4-0)

Miami gave up a late lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft for this.

The Heat owed their 2025 first-round pick to the Thunder (via the Clippers), but it was lottery-protected. Miami was the No. 10 seed in the East, with the 11th-worst record in the league, which would have landed it in the lottery if it had lost in the play-in. Instead, it won its way out through the Play-In Tournament, beating the Bulls and Hawks, earning a spot in the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.

Monday night the Heat were swept out of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion, losing Game 4 at home by 55 points. They lost the four games by a combined 122 points, an NBA record.

Give the Cavaliers credit, they have looked sharp, deep and like a genuine threat to Boston. Cleveland now waits for Indiana to finish off Milwaukee, a series that could start next weekend.

Miami heads into the offseason facing difficult questions in the post-Jimmy Butler era.

They have Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, but this is a roster far from competing at a level near where the Heat are accustomed to being. Think about it this way: Is Miami the win-now place Kevin Durant — or, if he asks for a trade Giannis Antetokounmpo — would want to go? Is an aging Kevin Durant the answer?

Miami is not a franchise that will tear things down to the studs and rebuild for a few years. Expect Riley to go big game hunting this summer, but reality could hit the Heat hard — they don’t have picks and players to compete for the biggest names. Miami might be willing to roll the dice on someone such as Zion Williamson, but that comes with its own risks.

It’s going to be a hot summer in Miami.