By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Prevailing in Ball Arena sent the Miami Heat into a 1-1 tie in the best-of-seven championship series versus the Denver Nuggets.
Coming out of Game 2, explosive forward Jimmy Butler was adamant about the success of his side, as usual.
“I just think nobody cares on our team,” he mentioned in the postgame press conference, “We’re so focused on what we do well and who we are as a group that at the end of the day, that’s what we fall back on. Make or miss shots, we’re going to be who we are because we’re not worried about anybody else. That’s how it’s been all year long, and that’s not going to change. So that’s what I think it is. I think it’s the ‘I don’t give a damn’ factor.”
Butler, 33, chipped in 21 points, nine assists, and four rebounds for the win on the road Sunday.
Pressure on Nikola Jokic
Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic dropped a game-high 41 points to go with 11 rebounds, but he was held to four assists and registered five turnovers in the losing effort for the Nuggets.
“Some ball pressure. Getting back. Getting our hands on loose balls and just challenging every pass, every shot,” Butler commented on the effort to contain the Joker.
The Heat, including head coach Erik Spoelstra, emphatically rejected the notion of purposely allowing Jokic to score rather than create for his teammates. “You can’t just say ‘Oh, make him a scorer’ was the reaction of the Heat’s play-caller.
“He passes the ball so incredibly well. Obviously, he can score the ball like he did tonight. But when you get the opportunity to turn the ball over and get out into the open floor, I feel as though we have to do that, and we did a decent job of that today,” added Butler.
Game 3 follows in Kaseya Center Wednesday.
Photo Credit: Getty Images