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Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler isn’t going to back down from anybody. Not from Joel Embiid. Not from James Harden. And certainly not from the pressure of dropping a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He put the Superman cape on in the third quarter of Game 4 and leaped tall centers in a single bound.
Butler finished with 40 points, but no one else could buy a bucket. Miami shot 20% from the 3-point line (7-for-35) while shooting 46.3% from the field (38-for-82). Yes, it was a very bad shooting night for the Heat. And Butler doesn’t anticipate a similar freeze out in Game 5.
“I don’t think we go out there and shoot 82 bad shots,” Butler told reporters after Game 4. “I think every shot that we shoot we think is going in. We’re gonna take the same shots next game and they’re gonna fall because that’s the way we’ve been playing all year long. We’re not scared of missing shots, if anything we probably should have jacked it up a little more.”
The Heat also struggled to find any kind of offensive flow with Bam Adebayo in foul trouble. That forced Miami to employ a “small-ball lineup,” one where Butler was thrown into 1-on-1 coverage against Joel Embiid. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry had to take a seat late due after re-aggravating a left hamstring injury. And PJ Tucker and Max Strus also had to sit for long stretches after picking up five and six fouls, respectively.
“Jo’s a hell of a player, that’s my guy, too,” Butler said. “But I’m not scared of him either. I don’t think anybody is. Ain’t nobody scared of nobody in this matchup, so I’ll attack him like I attack anybody else. I like it. He takes that challenge – as the MVP, as that team’s best player, that’s what he’s supposed to do.”
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Embiid Picks Up Flagrant 1 Foul After Hitting Butler
Butler and Embiid remain good friends from their half a season together in Philly. They genuinely like and support each other as evidenced by Butler backing Embiid for MVP. However, the Sixers’ big man sent his former teammate crashing hard after accidentally elbowing him in the face. He immediately helped Butler off the ground, but the refs assessed him a flagrant 1 foul.
No hard feelings, of course. Embiid took responsibility for letting Butler go off for 40 points – “that was on me,” he said – then promised to make the proper adjustments in Game 5.
“We gotta do a better job of showing a crowd so he doesn’t get it as easy as he’s been able to,” Embiid said. “We’ll be better. I’ll be better.”
Butler Gives Terse Statement About James Harden
James Harden exploded for 31 points and connected on six 3-pointers, including four triples and 16 points in the fourth quarter alone. It was arguably Harden’s best game in a Sixers’ uniform and definitely his best outing in the Heat-Sixers series. After the game, Butler was asked for his thoughts and kept them short.
“Good player,” Butler said. “That’s what he’s supposed to do.”
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