With the season on the line for the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler emerges for one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history.
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra succinctly summarised Jimmy Butler‘s performance in their 115-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals:
"“How else do you say it other than Jimmy effin Butler.”"
It’s hard to argue with Spoelstra’s summation, such was the brilliance on display from Butler in such a do-or-die situation. Playing 45 minutes for the second straight game, Butler posted 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in an absolutely dominant performance. In the process, Butler joined LeBron James and Jerry West as the only players in NBA Finals history to record a 40-point triple-double.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1312956371567022085?s=20
Resting for just 55 seconds of play in the second half, Butler was a man possessed in leading the Heat to an unlikely win in the absence of the injured star pair of Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic. Following the game, Spoelstra further extrapolated on Butler’s outing:
"“He’s a supreme, elite competitor, and we needed it. This was a very desperate, urgent game and he was doing it at both ends of the court, just put his imprint at every important part of the game. He’s in the top percentile in this association in terms of conditioning, and you saw he got stronger as the game went on.”"
At first glance of the boxscore, one may decipher that a 40-11-13 line in 45 minutes would indicate that Butler may have taken the foot off the gas at the defensive end of the floor. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Jimmy Butler is the first player to outscore, outrebound and out-assist LeBron James in a Finals game, including LeBron's teammates. Via Elias.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 5, 2020
Per NBA Stats, Butler defended James for 32 possessions, holding him to just nine points and seven turnovers. Given the amount in which James dictates the Lakers’ offense, Butler’s output at the defensive end of the floor cannot be overlooked when measuring his impact. In addition to his monstrous offensive numbers, Butler also recorded two steals and two blocks, making for a jam-packed boxscore.
After his historical performance, Butler explained his overall mindset for this series:
"“I tell coach all the time, I’m ready for this, the biggest stage, whatever you ask me to do, I can do….you gotta empty the tank on every possession….none of us, none of us, are ever going to leave anything in the tank. We’re going to leave it all out there on the floor…Everybody remembers winning….and for us, we’re all about winning.”"
Moving forward, things could get even more interesting for the Heat. Close to returning to play in Game 3, the progress of Adebayo in the leadup to Game 4 will be fascinating both Heat and NBA followers in general. And while Dragic appears to be highly doubtful to return this series, the contributions in both his and Adebayo’s absence from the likes of Kelly Olynyk and Kendrick Nunn should instil the team with a great deal of confidence when looking ahead.
But ultimately, it’s performances such as Butler’s masterpiece in Game 3 that will be the difference for the Heat in this series. And whatever the ultimate result, the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler partnership still has plenty of room to evolve.