Jimmy Butler dropped 28 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, leading the Miami HEAT past the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After the win, Butler was named series MVP, holding the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award. But if you ask Jimmy Buckets, the HEAT has done nothing.
“I just know why Coach Pat and Coach Spoelstra wanted me to be here,” Butler said to ESPN. “And that’s to compete at a high level and to win championships.
“I know that the group that they put around me at all times is going to give me an opportunity to do so. … I know the work that we all put into it, so I know what we’re capable of. Nobody is satisfied. We haven’t done anything. We don’t play just to win the Eastern Conference; we play to win the whole thing.”
The HEAT will get guard Tyler Herro back in the middle of the NBA Finals but the team has made adjustments all playoffs long.
“When a guy goes down, the next guy could fill in that gap and do exactly what that guy that went down did — and do it at a high level,” Butler said. “Then be humble enough to know that when that guy comes back, you’ve got to take a step back and get back in your role. Nobody ever complains. They always do exactly what you ask of them to do, which is why you want to play with guys like that, which is why they are the reason we win so many games.
“I don’t call them role players; I call them teammates, because your role can change any given day.”
Who do you have to win the NBA Finals? Miami HEAT at Denver Nuggets begin on Thursday.
