Jimmy Butler Was Confident Miami Heat Could Redeem Themselves This Year
After losing in the Eastern Conference finals last year, the Miami Heat took this season personally.
Some have even called it their “Redemption Year” and Jimmy Butler knew what this season meant.
When he missed the series-winning 3-pointer last year against the Boston Celtics, many pundits put the blame on him and even said his legacy was destroyed. But he knew why he was brought to Miami, to be the hero and lift the Heat up in tough situations.
“I just know why Coach Pat and Coach Spo wanted me to be here,” said Butler, who led the Heat with 28 points in Game 7. “And that's to compete at a high level and to win championships. I know that the group that they put around me at all times is going to give me an opportunity to do so. So I was always very, very confident in that. I work extremely hard with the team, with (Chris) Brickley, I can score on Remy (Ndiaye) all day every day, as I've posted on Instagram.”
When a player of his caliber misses a season-saving shot like he did, most of the time, their confidence falls. But not Butler. He stayed confident and believed he could get it done despite the naysayers.
“I'm just confident,” he said. “I know the work that we all put into it, so I know what we're capable of. Nobody is satisfied. We haven't done anything. We don't play just to win the Eastern Conference; we play to win the whole thing.”
Confidence is something they rely on consistently. A lot of people thought closing out this series was tough for the Heat. But this is the same team who started the season off slow and now they’re in the NBA Finals for the second time in four years.
The Heat are going to take a step towards the NBA championship on Thursday against the Denver Nuggets.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.
