“It’s the factor, who cares”: Jimmy Butler thus described the mentality of the Heat, accustomed to thwarting the forecasts in the play-offs and more than ever in the race for the title of NBA champion, despite his status as seeded N.8. “We don’t care what other people think,” said the Miami star, who scored 21 points in Sunday’s win in Denver to tie it all in the 2023 final.
“We are so focused on what we do well and on the group we make, that at the end of the day, that’s what we rely on. It’s been like this since the start of the season and it won’t change,” he added, as the Heat had just won for the first time since 2016 in Colorado.
Few would indeed have bet on a return of the Heat to the final, three years after that lost in the Orlando anti-Covid bubble against LeBron James’ Lakers. Qualified ric-rac in the play-offs, after a second play-off match, he successively eliminated the Bucks of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Knicks then the Celtics of Jayson Tatum, finalists last year, by showing mental strength to on time.
NBA Finals: Vincent makes a name for himself, Denver sinks at the end… The tops/flops after Game 2
Including that imposed by Denver, given favorite by many and who had, until Sunday evening, not lost a single time on his floor during the final stages, carried by his double MVP Nikola Jokic, vainly crushing with his 41 points registered in this match N.2. “We have heard the same speech since the start of the play-offs. But the most important thing for us is that we had the will and the conviction that we can win and we continue to find the means to do so,” said the other leader of the Heat, Bam Adebayo, who also registered 21 stitches.
The coach, Erik Spoelstra, reminded him – even if it meant “being redundant” – that his team had “faced a lot of adversity during the season”. “We handled it the right way, without looking for excuses, injuries etc. It toughened us up. We want the privilege of facing adversity and being able to overcome it. It gives us strength. Our guys like competition. They like to give their all in these moments of truth,” he concluded.
