Getty Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat.
Jimmy Butler made his return to the floor in the Miami Heat‘s Game 3 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday. The star wing led all scorers with 28 points while shooting 9-of-21, in the blowout 105-86 victory.
Butler’s teammate Kyle Lowry was sure to emphasize his importance to the team, when speaking to the media in the locker room.
“Anytime Jimmy be playing, he’s always going to be great,” Lowry said via Bally Sports Sun: Heat. “One thing about Jimmy, he’s always going to be effective, he’s going to play great music as he’s playing in the background right now. He’s always going to give us an extra boost. So, we appreciate him as much as the next person.”
To accompany Butler’s impressive return, the Heat got some great production out of Bam Adebayo. The big man had a double-double against New York, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in Game 3.
“I knew Bam would come out, he said he was going to be better and that’s what it is,” Lowry continued. “He’s always going to make himself better. He’s a guy that lives up to what he says. He’s going to be better. He’s putting a lot on the line right now, he’s playing through everything and I think he’s been fantastic throughout this whole playoffs.”
Bam Adebayo Discusses Heat-Knicks Scuffle in Game 3
Game 3 was a game that never really got close. Miami dominated the Knicks and remained in control the entire time, eventually coasting to the victory.
Perhaps the most interesting sequence of the day came with just seconds left in the third quarter. Miami backup-center Cody Zeller shoved Julius Randle into the stanchion, causing both sides to get involved in a dust-up.
Tempers gettin’ a little HOT in Miami 👀🔥
Adebayo discussed the altercation, during his walk-off interview, claiming that his squad was “prepared” for something like that.
“I mean it gives the game some energy,” he said via Bally Sports Sun: Heat. “You know, it gives it that energy that people want. The arena gets into it and you’ve got a ball game. So for me, we like stuff like that… It’s just part of the game. We knew what it was coming into the series and we’ve been prepared for that.”
“Like I always say, if we get a rebound, I feel like we’re the best team and the hardest team to beat in transition.” 🎙
Things you love to see: @jeremytache and @Bam1of1 back in the Winner’s circle talking about the W 🔥
Tyler Herro’s Return Looms As Heat Continue to Win
As the Heat go further into the playoffs, the return of Tyler Herro becomes more and more realistic. Herro has been sidelined since breaking his hand on April 16, during Miami’s opening game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Just days after the injury, Herro gave some insight into what his recovery process would look like. He told “The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s” Ira Winderman that he’d undergo surgery, then hopefully be able to be back if the Heat made the NBA Finals, which seemed like a pipe dream at that point.
“I’ll get surgery on Friday morning and it’s going to be four to six weeks, hopefully less, after that, and see what happens,” he said. “They said it would be more toward the [NBA] Finals, not the conference finals, just because of the rehab I’d have to do after surgery,” he explained. “So, yeah, I mean, that’s the hope, get to the Finals, and I can come back for that. But obviously just taking it one day at a time, get my surgery on Friday and go from there.”
With the Heat now holding a 2-1 lead over the Knicks, a trip to the Finals doesn’t seem all that crazy.