Jimmy Butler, Heat seeking to take a 2-0 lead over Celtics

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler doesn’t like being a referred to as a scorer.
By no means thoughts that the moniker appears acceptable. He’s averaging practically 30 factors per recreation on this postseason, has reached the 40-point mark 3 times in his final 10 video games after having zero such common season video games since 2017, and carried the Miami Warmth over the Boston Celtics in Recreation 1 of the Jap Convention finals.
However say “scorer” to him, and he’ll scoff in disdain.
“I’ve been a quote-unquote scorer at different factors in my profession, and it didn’t work out too properly for me,” Butler mentioned.
Issues have been understanding simply superb to date on this postseason for Butler and the top-seeded Warmth, who’ll look to take a 2-0 lead in the East title series once they play host to the second-seeded Celtics once more on Thursday night time. It gained’t be straightforward: The Celtics are 3-0 after losses in these playoffs, profitable these bounceback video games by a mean of 14.7 factors and getting two of these victories on the street.
But it surely stays unclear in the event that they’ll have defensive participant of the yr Marcus Sensible (mid-foot sprain) again for Recreation 2. The Celtics had been additionally with out ahead Al Horford (well being and security protocols) for Recreation 1 — his standing appears doubtful at greatest for Recreation 2 given the NBA’s return-to-play guidelines — plus mentioned coach Ime Udoka was sick Wednesday with a non-COVID sickness.
“We now have a whole lot of confidence,” Celtics heart Daniel Theis mentioned Wednesday as his group gathered for a movie session.
Recreation 1 was a 118-107 loss for the Celtics on Tuesday night time, although Boston identified after the sport that the mixed scores of the primary, second and fourth quarters added as much as Celtics 93, Warmth 79.
That pesky third quarter, nevertheless, counted.
A 39-14 romp by Miami in these 12 minutes — Butler had 17 factors in that quarter alone, outscoring the Celtics by himself — turned the entire recreation round, and the Warmth by no means noticed their lead trimmed to lower than 9 within the closing quarter.
“Count on us to play higher,” mentioned Boston ahead Jayson Tatum, who had six turnovers in that pivotal quarter. “Count on myself to play rather a lot higher.”
In different phrases, he’s anticipating to get to a better degree.
Butler is already there.
He’s averaging 29.8 factors, 7.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and a pair of.3 steals in these playoffs on 53.5% taking pictures. Because the NBA started charting every of these statistics, no person has completed a postseason averaging a lot in every class whereas taking pictures that properly. And Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra has a easy cause why Butler is on this house.
“Heightened consideration to element,” Spoelstra mentioned. “However once more, I don’t need to get in an extended dissertation about it. Should you’re pushed by competitors, and the stakes get raised, you’re going to boost your degree of play. It’s not about attempting to get greater numbers. It’s about doing what’s required. And this degree is excessive degree, this competitors, and he senses it, and he is aware of it. He feels it.”
Butler went 17 for 18 from the foul line in Recreation 1. The one participant to make, or take, extra free throws in a recreation in opposition to Boston this season was Kevin Durant — who was 18 for 20 for Brooklyn in Recreation 2 of the first-round sequence between the Celtics and Nets.
“He’s comfy,” Boston’s Jaylen Brown mentioned of Butler. “He’s very comfy proper now, and we’ve received to do a greater job of breaking that rhythm that he’s in. That’s it. We’ve received to take the problem.”
Butler’s final 40-point recreation within the common season got here on Jan. 25, 2017, for Chicago — three franchises and greater than 5 years in the past. However he’s had 5 such video games within the playoffs since coming to Miami, the primary two coming within the bubble two years in the past when he carried the Warmth to the NBA Finals. The opposite three have been within the final month, when he’s carrying the Warmth once more, regardless of his insistence that he’s not carrying anybody.
“I don’t care if it’s a giant stage or a bit stage or who’s watching,” Butler mentioned. “I do what I do for my household, for my folks, for my group and for my teammates. That’s it. Doesn’t matter if it’s a giant stage, dwelling or away. I do know why I do what I do.”
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