Two years after their run to the Finals, the Miami Heat are just eight wins away from reaching their ultimate goal. After beating Atlanta and Philadelphia in the first two rounds, they are set to face the Boston Celtics in the ultimate Eastern Conference showdown.
And while many are doubting Miami’s ability to come out of the series alive, veteran star Jimmy Butler was quick to show faith in his squad and promised that the Heat will be the ones to move on:
“I think everybody’s looking forward to it,” Butler said about the upcoming series. “And what I love about this team the most is that nobody is paying attention to what anybody else picks because we know that we can win. Those are guys I want to go to war with. We’re gonna fight, and we’re gonna come out on top.”
Jimmy Butler says he doesn't care that most are picking against the Heat in the ECF.
"Nobody is paying attention to what anybody else picks because we know that we can win."
"We're gonna fight, and we're gonna come out on top." pic.twitter.com/WVuKRI8XYh
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) May 16, 2022
After coming within two wins of the title in 2020, the Miami Heat, their star duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, was worth keeping around. Despite showing flashes here and there, Miami followed up their 2020 run by getting swept in the very first round.
Now, they are in striking range of a championship again, and it is Butler who is leading the charge. In Game 6, he dropped 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists on 44.8% shooting.
Butler, who has finally found his permanent NBA home, is at the top of his game and making the absolute most of it:
“Now I’m where I belong,” said Butler. “I guess where I should’ve been a long time ago. A place where, like I’m welcomed, I’m so grateful that coach Pat believed in me, coach Spo. And then they decided to just go and figure out a way to get us to where we wanna go and I’m on my way to doing it. And I’m trying to tell you that I cannot do that without these guys on this roster.”
It remains to be seen how this chapter ends for Miami. Since the departure of LeBron James, the road back to relevance has been a bumpy one.
But now that they have a roster ready to compete for a title, there is a sense that the Heat are going to be special for years to come. Still, these playoffs are the perfect opportunity to bring home a championship and there may be no coming back if they drop the ball now.
