JIMMY BUTLER STARS AS MIAMI HEAT TAKE GAME 3
Miami: Jimmy Butler starred as the injuryhit Miami Heat took game three of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers 115-104.
Butler’s triple double of 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds helped lead the Heat to victory and they now trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
“They can be beaten as long as we do what we are supposed to do,” he said.
“We are here to compete. We’re not going to lay down, we’re going to fight back in this thing.”
Game four of the series takes place today. No NBA team has come back from a 0-3 series deficit to win in seven games, but the Heat were facing that prospect when they squandered a 14-point third-quarter lead.
But the talismanic Butler was able to haul them over the line, becoming the third player in Finals history to score 40 points in a tripledouble (double-digit figures in three of five categories - points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks), after opponent LeBron James and Lakers legend Jerry West.
He played 45 minutes for the second straight game as the Heat were once again without Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic, who were injured in game one.
The 31-year-old says he is ready to do everything it takes to help his team-mates.
“I go out there and I go to war for those guys because whenever they’re out there, they’re going to war with and for me,” he said.
“You’ve got to empty the tank on every possession. I’ve got the easy job. These guys create so much space for me, I get to shoot it
whenever I’m open, pass it whenever I’m not. I really do have the easy job.
“But none of us, none of us are ever going to leave anything in the tank. We’re going to lay it all out there on the floor.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra says Butler is rightly considered to be one of the best players in the NBA. - BBC Sport