The 2023 NBA Finals may see their conclusion tomorrow as the Nuggets host Game 5 at home against the Heat with a 3-1 lead. The last time the Heat were down 3-1 in the Finals came in 2020, as they beat the Lakers to steal Game 5 and force the series to six.
Jimmy Butler was the architect of that win but has openly said that he and the Heat cannot rely on what they did in 2020 to get the same result in 2023.
“Absolutely nothing. I was a different player then, the team was a lot different. I don’t even think about it. I think the group of guys we have now if that’s what the game says we need to do, that’s what happens. But I honestly don’t think about 2020, 2021, none of that. We’re in this time now and I have to get the best version of myself now.”
Reporter: "Do you bring something or recall something about the 2020 NBA Finals Game 5 vs. Lakers that you can bring to this game?"
Jimmy Butler: "Absolutely nothing."
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/4JyexhJtZj
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 11, 2023
Butler dropped 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in that 2020 Finals Game 5 in an iconic duel with LeBron James, who ended that game with 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists. Unfortunately, James also ended that game with an L, as Butler established to the world that he can answer the challenge in the most important games of the season.
Can Jimmy Butler Force A Game 6?
Jimmy Butler hasn’t been the superstar Miami can rely on in this Finals series, struggling to make his mark against the suffocating Nuggets’ defense anchored by Aaron Gordon. Butler is averaging 21.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on 44.6% from the field in the Finals and has been getting great production from co-star Bam Adebayo, who is averaging 22.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in the Finals.
Butler had a 56-point game earlier in the playoffs, and he’ll likely need to tap into that part of himself to ensure the Heat can bring the series back home to Miami for a Game 6. The Nuggets will not let that happen with ease, so we’re going to see either an iconic closeout game performance for the champion Nuggets or yet another gritty win for the Heat in a playoff run where they’ve won the hearts of fans all over.
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