Jimmy Butler full of confidence after heat jumped out to a 3-0 series lead against Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Fast forward three more games, and the series was wrapped up in a stunning turn of events.
After Boston’s miraculous Game 6 win, with a buzzer beater from Derrick WhiteButler spoke to reporters, where he revealed what he said to his teammates after the loss on their home court.
“[I] let them know that whether we played well or not tonight, we still lost, so we still have work to do at the end of the day. And we’re going to be in this thing together, at home, away, on the road,” Butler said.
"I told the guys in the locker room that if I played well, we wouldn’t be in this position."
— Jimmy Butlerpic.twitter.com/DuzFm5GCxK
– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 28, 2023
“I told the guys on the bench, I told the guys in the locker room that ‘If I played better, we wouldn’t be in this position.’ To be honest. And I will be better. And that makes me smile, because the guys follow my lead, so when I play well, I think we play better overall.
Butler struggled to find his shooting touch throughout the game and became less aggressive on offense throughout the game as a result. But he finished with a team-high 24 points, despite shooting 5-of-21 from the field, while dishing out 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Butler didn’t hide from the fact that if he had done a better individual performance, the team might not have found themselves in their current situation.
Miami will look to rally and escape a historic reverse sweep against the Celtics on Monday in Game 7, although it will be disappointed to miss another chance to end the series on its home court.
