East Notes: Heat, Tyler Hero, Celtics, Sixers, Nick Nurse

Heat

Shooting guard Tyler Herro and the Heat are reportedly targeting a return in Game 3 of the Finals. Herro suffered a broken hand in the first round of the playoffs, recently had his cast removed and could be seen working out before Monday’s Game 7 win over the Celtics.

“We’ll see what happens. I don’t know,” Hero said, via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel “My hand feels good. We’ll see what happens. I’m feeling good.”

• The Heat became just the third team in NBA history to reach the Finals with a negative point differential during the regular season, per Justin Kubatko of Statitudes.
• For more on Miami becoming Eastern Conference champs, check out my latest: Heat run to Finals a lesson for underdogs everywhere.

Celtics

As we relayed here, it seems as if the Celtics will offer guard/forward Jaylen Brown a contract extension. But he offered no hints when asked about the possibility.

.”I don’t even really know how to answer that question right now, to be honest,” Brown said, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “My thought process is take it one day at a time, focus on getting better. Focus on what the future holds and see where we are from there.”

• Brown and the rest of the Celtics offered praise for first-year coach Joe Mazzulla. “We had two rookie head coaches in the last two years, and Joe picking up from (Ime Udoka) as an interim starting off and then progressing as being the head coach, just fully took that challenge on and led us to this point,” Brown said, via Bontemps. “That’s a tough position for a guy to be in. … We came up short. But I still give my respect to our coaching staff and that group that we had on the floor.”
• Forward Grant Williams will be a restricted free agent at the end of June. “Just focused on today,” Williams said, via Bontemps. “We planned on making it to the Finals, and it didn’t go that way. So I’ll figure [free agency] out when time comes.”

76ers

• In case you missed it, the 76ers are hiring former Raptors coach Nick Nurse to fill their own vacancy. (Full post.)
• Nurse will be open and honest, and “a little more willing to air things out in public, whether out of a desire to be honest or to occasionally motivate his players,” wrote Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice.
• Nurse will also be the first hire for president of basketball operations Daryl Morey since he came to the 76ers. Former coach Doc Rivers was already in place when Morery got the job.