The Miami Heat walked out 111-101 winner over the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their first-round series. With the matchup tied at 1-1, Heat forward Jimmy Butler took to Instagram to share a quote from Jaylen Brown during the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals where he said, 'Don't let us get one' after falling down 3-0 to the Heat.
"Feeling cute, might delete later. Sikeeee, I ain't deleting s---."
Brown's statement almost became prophetic after the Celtics managed to come back from 0-3 down to tie the series up 3-3 before falling apart in Game 7. Their odds of beating the Heat are much higher this season, with the Celtics improving by adding players like Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday over the summer, along with Jimmy Butler being sidelined from this series.
Butler suffered an MCL sprain during the Heat's loss in the 7-8 Play-In Tournament game to the Philadelphia 76ers. While the 76ers face a 2-0 deficit to the Knicks right now, the Heat have tied the series up going back to Miami.
Jimmy Butler Is Still Motivating His Teammates
Even though Butler cannot contribute by stepping onto the court, his presence as a veteran leader in the locker room cannot be understated. Butler is still the emotional heart of this team, sticking with them even when he can't play to be a leader and keep everyone locked in.
Tyler Herro, who stepped up in Game 2 with 24 points and 14 assists, revealed that Butler had actually texted him before the series started and handed him the responsibility of leading the team on-court and getting wins.
"Just before the series, JB texted me, 'T, take the team and lead these guys. Make every right play, it's not all about scoring. In the Playoffs, you have got to make the right play.' Our guys showed up tonight, Caleb, and Jaime the rook, he was doing his thing as well. Everybody came to play. We lost badly in Game 1 and everybody responded, that's all you can ask from a group of guys."
His presence is a welcome addition to the Heat who are going through the playoffs shorthanded once again. Last season, it was Butler leading the team while Herrot was out. This season, it might be Herro leading the team with Butler out. Thankfully, both players have Defensive Player of the Year finalist Bam Adebayo alongside them.
The playoff uptick in production from players like Herro, Adebayo, and Caleb Martin will be necessary for the Heat to win this series. Duncan Robinson as a flamethrowing shooter gives them a level of danger that needs to be cautiously dealt with. Its' a shame when you think about how compelling this series would be if the Heat had players like Butler and Terry Rozier available.
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