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Miami Heat fans have almost made it through the seemingly-eternal wait between Games 2 and 3 against the New York Knicks. Game 3 will be held Saturday afternoon at Kaseya Center in Miami. The question is, will Jimmy Butler be available?
Well, the video that he posted to his Instagram story on Thursday is pretty promising.
The clip shows Butler drilling long-range threes, just five days after rolling his right ankle in Game 1. He was then sidelined in Miami’s Game 2 defeat at Madison Square Garden.
Heat fans on Reddit were excited about how healthy Butler looked, to say the very least. They flocked to the comments section of the video and shared their emotions.
One user, “hshshahsbss” wrote, “Been praying for times like this😭😭🙏.”
Another by the name of “Cockycent” commented, “Knick clowns in trouble.”
There was even talk of an impending 40-point outburst from the 33-year-old. User “thecapatainflint” wrote, “every time I’ve seen Jimmy post these photos in an empty arena he drops 40+ lol.”
Heat’s Kevin Love Says Jimmy Butler Hasn’t Been Limping
The signs are starting to point heavily in the direction of a Game 3 return for “Playoff Jimmy.” Though there’s been no official update on his status, his teammate Kevin Love shared an encouraging piece of information on Thursday.
Love told “The Miami Herald’s” Barry Jackson that there hasn’t been much limping happening for Butler.
“He’s not limping too much and seems to be getting treatment around the clock,” he said Thursday.
Though Love was willing to share details on the star wing’s ailment, head coach Erik Spoelstra was not. He had “no update” for Tim Reynolds of “The Associated Press.”
“No update. … I’m not going to get into all the minutiae of it,” Spoelstra told Reynolds. “When we find out how he is feeling on Saturday, we’ll let you know. That’s what the deal is.”
Butler’s return to the lineup would be a game changer for the Heat. He’s meant so much to them so far in the playoffs, averaging 35.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists through Miami’s first six playoff-games. He’s been efficient in his scoring as well, drilling 58.5% of his attempts from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.
Heat Inspired by Jimmy Butler’s Toughness
Spoelstra alluded to Butler’s teammates being inspired by his toughness at the end of Game 1. After going down with the ankle injury, the six-time All-Star stayed on the court and finished the game.
“This group has been through a lot… and we’re not being insensitive to when guys get nicked up or get hurt, but our group has learned to compartmentalize and focus on the task at hand…” Spoelstra told reporters on Sunday afternoon via Bally Sports Sun. “We’ve had probably more practice than anybody else in having to step up when guys get hurt, but that certainly is inspiring that he would not come out of the game and to be able to finish the game. Just infused a bunch of confidence to the rest of the guys that we have to finish this off.”
Some of that inspiration may have carried over into Thursday’s meeting. Despite being without their star man, the Heat battled with the Knicks through the entire game, eventually losing the lead in crunch time.
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