Jimmy Butler Did Everything He Could

Butler's Finals performances have made a massive talent gap look small.

Before the Finals, and after each post-game interview in games 1, 2, and 3, Jimmy Butler scoffed at the notion that his Miami Heat were underdogs. He likely knew everyone felt that way, but to know Jimmy Butler is to understand that he sincerely doesn’t believe it.

Miami was humiliated in game one, compounding with injuries to Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo. In game two, without Dragic and Adebayo, only a few miscues here and there prevented a 10-point loss from being much closer. The Heat were down 2-0 and counted out, but Butler’s sheen never dimmed.

He was a superstar in game three — 40 points without a 3-point attempt, 13 assists, and 11 boards on 70-percent shooting; the first player to ever outscore, out-assist, and out-rebound LeBron James in a Finals matchup. Butler took a Sisyphean task and carried the boulder on his fingertips. A 2-1 series with the impending return of Adebayo complicated a foregone conclusion.

But game four happened, and we relearned that even self-made narratives aren’t wrapped with neat gift bows on top. Butler picked up where he left off, hitting his first five shot attempts. Anthony Davis often looked timid and unable to get into the flow of the Los Angeles Lakers’ offense. Adebayo was back looking spry, albeit less forceful. But the Heat still couldn’t crack the Lakers’ bulwark defense, and mistakes started mounting.

Miami kept it close throughout, but faced deficits after every quarter. With 3:05 remaining in the game, down 90-88, Butler had a chance to change the calculus of the entire series. He launched an uncharacteristic three from the right corner and bricked. Seven seconds later, LeBron found Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for an open three in a similar spot and swished the backbreaker. A five-point lead was insurmountable.

Butler finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, despite missing nine of his last 12 shots. It would be a different series if the 6-foot-7 forward was a reliable 3-point threat, but that’s never who he has been. His team is undersized, less experienced, and less talented, it’s no surprise they are down 3-1 and poised for the gentleman’s sweep. There aren’t moral victories, but that they won any game at all is emblematic of how impactful Butler has been.

Miami’s roster is spearheaded by a Hall of Fame coach and executive, but Butler’s unbridled confidence has made the Finals run seem more plausible than it should have been. They are a No. 5 seed, after all, and the acquisition of Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder don’t necessarily define championship moves.

Butler has scored more points these playoffs than the entirety of his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, in their four-game sweep. Through social media and news stories, we have learned how respected he is amongst his teammates, how much he orchestrates the team on both ends of the court, how seriously he takes all of this (the man didn’t invite his family to the bubble!).

Game three without Adebayo and Dragic should have only been played as a courtesy towards a best-of-7 series, but Butler single-handedly willed his team to win. In the direst circumstances, he posted a historic Finals game.

Now Butler and the Heat are on the brink of losing, staying three months in the bubble with little to show but performative momentum heading into next season. To say we are walking away empty-handed though would be wrong. Even casual fans can see what Butler has actually been his whole career, a fiercely competitive leader who makes the right plays at the right times. Not stubborn, not a diva, not a coach killer.

I write all this knowing that Jimmy Butler is a top-five player in the league of making others eat their words. I predicted the Lakers in 5, but any hesitation I have with that is rooted in my faith in Butler to perform.

But even if Miami falls in game five, there is much more to glean that just a deceptively lopsided 4-1 loss. We saw that Jimmy Butler did everything he could do to put the Heat in a position to win, and he put them pretty damn close.