Magic Johnson Sees A Lot Of Himself in Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler

Hall of Famer Magic Johnson knows the reason the Miami Heat are in the NBA Finals.

Johnson said it's simple: Jimmy Butler.

And Johnson thinks Butler leads the Heat the same way he did the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1980s.

“Team first,” Johnson told USA Today. “Winning first. Making your teammates first. All those things were first for me and first for (Butler). That’s why the Heat are in the NBA Finals, and so Jimmy has lifted the play of all his teammates around him. He’s made them better. And because he’s the hardest worker on the team, those guys follow that. He’s tough as nails, so they follow that.”

Johnson led the Lakers to five championships during the "Showtime" era. He was the driving force on the court while Pat Riley handled things from the sideline. Johnson sees the similarities in Butler, who has led the Heat to two Finals appearances.

“They knew I was all about winning,” Johnson said. “I didn’t care how many points I scored. I didn’t care how many shots I took. I just wanted to win. … So that’s how we are alike. And then we could take the game over when we wanted to take it over when it was winning time.”

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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