As the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat defied the odds and reached the NBA Finals to face the Denver Nuggets.
The underdog mentality has been something head coach Erik Spoelstra has ignored when it comes to his group.
He believes his Heat is made for moments like these, where the spotlight is the brightest and the pressure is on.
Jimmy Butler is ready. And his Game 1 fit says everything he needs to know about his mindset going into this series with favorite Denver.
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Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics on May 25, 2023 at TD Garden in Boston. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Walking into the Ball Arena in Denver, Butler didn’t look flashy in her outfit. He was wearing a black T-shirt, black pants, and lime green sandals. But it was the shirt that had his way of thinking written on the back.
«Four more,» the shirt read.
Four more wins and the Heat will be crowned NBA champions. For Butler, it’s everything he’s been looking for since he entered the league.
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During an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Butler explained why he didn’t touch the trophy that Bam Adebayo tried to give him after winning the Eastern Conference.
«I play for Mr. O’Brien,» Butler said, referring to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, awarded to NBA champions. «You can take the All-Stars… You can take the All-NBA. The whole defensive team, I don’t care. I really just want to win one championship.»
Butler has been named to six All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams during his 11-year career. The 33-year-old has yet to lift the O’Brien trophy. To do that, he’s going to have to go through one of the best teams we’ve seen all season in the Nuggets.
MVP runner-up Nikola Jokic has been the star the Nuggets needed him to be since the first round began. And Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon have been difficult for the West to deal with.
Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler reacts during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 19, 2023 in Boston. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
In the East, the underdog doesn’t seem like an underdog, going back to the NBA play-in tournament, where the Heat lost to the Atlanta Hawks before defeating the Chicago Bulls to qualify for the first round.
They weren’t supposed to get past the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the East, but they managed to beat them in just five games. That series included Butler losing 56 and 42 points in Games 4 and 5, respectively.
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Next up were the New York Knicks. That took six games, but the Heat finally got it done at home. Finally, the Celtics series gave Miami a scare. Boston blew a 3-0 lead that allowed them a chance to make history with a Game 7 victory. But Butler and the Heat defeated the Celtics in Boston in Game 7 to advance.
To win this series, the Heat need Butler at his best on both ends of the floor. Butler is averaging 28.5 points in these playoffs with 7.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.1 steals in 17 games.
Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat arrives at the arena prior to Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets on June 1, 2023 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
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But from the message on his jersey and his carefree stroll around the arena, Butler understands the task well ahead of Game 1 on Thursday night.