Jimmy Butler’s convinced that his team’s surprise postseason run to the NBA Finals is tied to not ‘giving a damn’ about any external noise, following the Miami Heat’s road win against the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
Following a 111-108 victory in Game 2 on Sunday night, which evened the series at 1-1, Butler was blunt in his assessment as to why this Heat roster – the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference – keeps finding ways to win games.
‘I just think nobody cares on our team,’ said the 33-year-old after scoring 21 points and putting up nine assists in 40 minutes. ‘We’re not worried about what anybody thinks. We’re so focused in on what we do well and who we are as a group that at the end of the day, that’s what we fall back on.
‘Make or miss shots, we’re going to be who we are because we’re not worried about anybody else. That’s how it’s been all year long, and that’s not going to change. So that’s what I think it is. I think it’s the ”I don’t give a damn” factor.’
Butler, also known as ‘Himmy’ or ‘Jimmy Buckets’ among NBA fans due to his game-winning abilities in clutch time, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra have repeatedly raved about their resilient group for being able to focus on the task at hand: finding ways to win at all costs, no matter the circumstances.
Jimmy Butler has associated the Heat’s postseason success to ‘the I don’t give a damn factor’
It’s a mindset that the 15-year Heat coach has often stressed to his players, especially coming into each round of the postseason as underdogs this year.
‘We faced a lot of adversity during the season,’ Spoelstra said. ‘We handled it the right way where you are not making excuses about it, the injuries, the changing lineups. Because of all that adversity and the 57 close games that happened, due to a lot that, it hardened us.
‘It steeled us, and we developed some grit, which what we all want. We want to be able to have that privilege of having adversity and being able to overcome it. You gain strength from that. But this is a very tough opponent.
‘They have our full respect, for sure.’
The Heat beat the Denver Nuggets, 111-108, in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to even the series to 1-1
Veteran Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s mantra for his players: win, no matter the circumstances
In typical fashion, several Heat players chipped in to spark a second-half comeback. Down by as many as 15 in the first half, the Heat picked up the pace to get back into yet another game by counting on Gabe Vincent, who scored a team-high 23 points and hit several big-time shots for a team that usually relies on Butler, who was only able to find his offensive groove late on in the fourth quarter.
Duncan Robinson scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter for Miami. Max Strus provided 14 from off the bench after going 0-for-10 in Game 1. Bam Adebayo added 21 points and nine rebounds, and Kevin Love, who hadn’t hooped since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, started and collected 10 rebounds.
‘It’s just part of our DNA, for one,’ Vincent told reporters postgame . ‘You know, everyone on this team has battled through adversity in some manner and been knocked down and had to get back up.
‘And for No. 2, we have a lot of experience in these close games. So when it comes down to the wire, we are strangely comfortable.’
Undrafted Heat guard Gabe Vincent has flourished this postseason, scoring 21 pts in Game 2
Vincent continues to promote himself on basketball’s biggest stage and has become an invaluable piece of the Heat’s postseason success. The team turns to him as soon as a boost is required.
‘Undrafted players can start in the Finals,’ Adebayo said while pointing out Vincent’s path to the NBA. ‘It doesn’t mean anything that he’s undrafted. He’s giving guys who are going through his path or down that road of, you’re not this, you’re not that, you’re not this, and he’s carving a space for himself. I feel like a lot of people are going to know who Gabe Vincent is.’
After only going to the foul line twice in Game 1 and being bullied in the paint at times by Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon, the Heat came out more aggressively on Sunday night, demonstrating the team’s mental resilience that’s often been shown this postseason.
Adebayo claimed he and his teammates are playing with a chip on their shoulders after hearing some of the reservations people have had about their success in the playoffs.
‘Biggest thing for us, we heard the noise throughout the whole playoffs,’ Adebayo said. ‘Biggest thing for us, we had the will and we had the belief, and we keep finding ways to win.’
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