Getty Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat.
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat continued their white hot postseason run, taking Game 1 in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics. Butler poured in a game-high 35 points, to go along with 7 assists, 6 steals, and 5 rebounds on Wednesday night.
After the game, he was asked if he and his teammates thought they’d be this far into the playoffs, back when they were fighting for the final spot against the Chicago Bulls.
“Damn right, I did. Damn right, we did. And the best part about it is we still don’t care what none of y’all think,” Butler said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Honestly speaking, we don’t care if you pick us to win. We never have, we never will. We know the group of guys that we have in this locker room. We know that Coach Spo [Erik Spoelstra] puts so much confidence and belief into each and every one of us. Coach Pat [Riley] as well. So our circle is small but, this circle has so much love for one another. We pump constant confident into everybody. We go out there and hoop, play basketball the right way, knowing that we always have a chance.”
Butler and his Miami teammates have been clawing their way through the Eastern Conference for just over a month.
They first sent the No. 1 seeded Milwuakee Bucks home in five games, behind a pair of masterclasses from the 33-year-old.
Then, Miami bounced the New York Knicks in six games to earn their Eastern Conference Finals berth.
Marcus Smart Discusses Challenge of Facing Heat, Jimmy Butler
Butler’s postseason heroics have been a major storyline all spring. The mystique of “Playoff Jimmy” was looming over TD Garden in the opening matchup. The day before Game 1, Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett chatted with Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who had high praise for the Heat star.
“The ultimate gamer,” Smart told Bulpett. “I mean, playoff Jimmy is different. You know, I’ve been telling people that a-a-a-a-a-a-all this time, man. Don’t sleep on those guys, especially Jimmy. Jimmy’s just one of those players that’s a baller. He goes out and hoops. He goes out and plays. He has that fight in him. When you’ve got a guy like that, you’ve always got a chance of winning, and it’s no surprise they are where they are.”
Joe Mazzulla Praises Heat’s Jimmy Butler
Butler had the respect of this Celtics team before even taking the floor for Game 1. Head coach Joe Mazzulla had nothing but praise for the 33-year-old, when speaking with reporters at Tuesday’s practice.
“Yeah he’s a great player,” Mazzulla said of Butler via the CLNS Media Boston Sports Network YouTube channel. . “He plays with a great mindset. It’s the same thing in every series. We’re playing against great players in the playoffs. At the end of the day it comes down to the type of mindset, the approach we have, the physicality that we play with, and the details that we play with.”
Butler and the Heat will look to take a 2-0 lead over Boston on Friday night, when they take the Garden floor for Game 2.