Coming into Friday’s crucial Game 6, the Miami Heat were considered major underdogs. Kyle Lowry was hobbled, Tyler Herro was out, and the Celtics have made it tough to score all series long.
In the end, however, Miami was able to come out on top and secure a Game 7 on their home floor.
After the final buzzer, Jimmy Butler made one last statement before walking off the court:
“We knew we were going to win this one. And we’re going to win the next one too.”
Jimmy Butler in the walk-off interview: "We knew we were going to win this one. And we're going to win the next one too."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) May 28, 2022
Butler was the hero of the night. After an anemic performance in Game 5, he stepped up and poured in 47 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. It was just his latest masterpiece in what has been an excellent postseason for him so far:
“Postseason superstar, that’s what Jimmy Butler is,” Perkins argued. “Why I say that is, he understands the assignment now. The worst thing that could have happened in the NBA was him going to the Finals two years ago, cause now he knows it’s a marathon and not a sprint. He doesn’t care about the regular season. And when I say ‘don’t care’ I mean he’s not really focused on making the All-Star team, he’s not focused on leading the league in scoring, He knows, I need my body to be fresh I need to be the best at winning when it matters the most. Then, all of a sudden, he turns it on and becomes a top 5 player in the NBA as soon as the postseason started.”
It all comes down to Game 7 for the Heat. Against a deep, hungry, and talented opponent, Butler and his teammates will have to be at their best if they want to keep their title hopes alive.
Either way, the Heat will not go down without a fight. Jimmy Butler, who is as locked in as he has ever been, is making sure of that.
