Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Viewing This Year's Playoffs As Chance To Prove Doubters Wrong

As the No. 7 seed, the Miami Heat have few picking them to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

And Heat forward Jimmy Butler has no problem with it. He actually embraces the challenge.

"It's all the same," Butler said. "Didn't nobody pick us to win last year, either. So who cares. Y'all not going to pick us this year, still don't give a damn. In 10 years, y'all [the media] still not going to pick us. Still don't give a damn."

Even after earning the No. 1 seed last year, the Heat weren't favored to make it out of the East. They were a Butler basket from defeating the Boston Celtics in conference finals and advancing to the NBA Finals.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes for my team to win, night in and night out," Butler said. "And honestly, I could care less what anybody writes, if I was a good basketball player or a bad basketball player. Coach Pat [Riley] and coach [Erik Spoelstra] didn't bring me here because of what y'all write, in the most respectful way possible. As I take on [Tuesday's] matchup and we get that dub, we'll worry about what goes on down the line, but I think I'm going to be a decent basketball player at the end of the day."

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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