Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Butler again looking like Butler
Perhaps it was as simple as the wardrobe change. No matter. The only concern for the Miami Heat was getting Jimmy Butler back to looking like Jimmy Butler.
That made Monday night’s game against the Oklahoma City a victory on dual fronts.
In the 118-90 rout that evened the Heat’s record at 3-3, Butler, for the first time this season, put together a performance that evoked memories of his postseason performance in the Disney World quarantine bubble at the end of last season. The fact that he did it in the Heat’s new, tri-colored ViceVersa jerseys made it all the more visible.
“We need Jimmy to be who he can be,” center Kelly Olynyk said.
Entering Monday, Butler had scored 25 points on 9-of-28 shooting in his three appearances, with just eight free-throw attempts. Monday night, not needed for the fourth quarter because of the magnitude of the rout, he closed with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, going 6 of 6 from the line.
“The level of concern in our building was extremely low,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, as the Heat turn their attention to Wednesday night’s nationally televised visit by the Boston Celtics to AmericanAirlines Arena.
That’s what coaches say six games into a 72-game season.
But teammates appreciated that for the Heat to be the Heat, Butler has to be Butler, as he works back from the ankle sprain in the season opener that kept him out of 2 ½ games.
“When Jimmy is locked in, as you can see from the Finals, he is a special player,” center Bam Adebayo said.
“He can take over at any moment. When he is playing well, getting us into triggers and being aggressive, it makes everyone’s life easier.”
So teammates took as much effort to get Butler involved as the 31-year-old forward did for his teammates, with his six assists, on a night the Heat recorded a season-high 34.
“When Jimmy is on the court, everything opens up for everyone else,” guard Tyler Herro said. “He is looking to make things easier on other guys. It is always a pleasure to have him out there with the way he plays. “He is Jimmy Butler; it speaks for itself.” Until Monday’s postgame, Butler had not spoken at all to the media in over a week, as he worked to get himself back to something closer to his All-Star self.
“My confidence is always high,” he said. “I think my guys’ confidence is high, as well. We know the team that we can become, that we will become. But we just have to get better every day. That’s what this things all about.
“We have so much trust and so much confidence in one another, we know what we can do. It’s all about going out there and doing it every single day. Put together these games in the win column and then everything takes care of itself.”
The Heat’s first two baskets Monday came from Butler, the first an assisted layup from Adebayo, the second an attacking layup on his own. Essentially, teammates stepped aside so Butler could step back into the flow, a game after going without a basket in the road loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
“That’s just the type of group we’ve got,”
Butler said. “They’re trying to make sure that everybody gets the ball rolling, see the ball go into the basket.”
For the most part, amid protocols put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been an uneven ride around the league for several anticipated Eastern Conference contenders, a group that includes the Heat after their run within two victories of last season’s title.
That, for example, will have the Celtics arriving with a 5-3 record, while the
Milwaukee Bucks stand at 4-3 and the Toronto Raptors at 1-5.
“Just try to do it every day, every game,” Butler said of both his rhythm and the Heat’s’ rhythm going forward. “It’s all about being consistent. Everybody’s confidence is always high. That’s never a problem.
“It’s all about just stringing together good days. How many good days, how many great days can you put together? I feel like right now, of all times, that’s what the league is going to be about.”