Heat praise Butler for nearly 'perfect' Game 5 performance
The Miami Heat extended The Finals to at least six games thanks to a heroic showing by Jimmy Butler, who played all but 48 seconds of Friday's must-win Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Butler finished with a 35-point triple-double and was tasked with guarding LeBron James as he fought to keep Miami's championship hopes alive.
All-Star center Bam Adebayo didn't hesitate to heap praise on his teammate following his stellar two-way display.
"That's Jimmy Butler. That’s our max player. That’s who we go to ... he's been as close to perfect as you possibly can get," Adebayo said, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell.
Miami forward Duncan Robinson, who finished second to Butler on the Heat with 26 points Friday, credited the veteran's tenacity for Miami's victory.
"Well Jimmy, you just can't put him in a box. People want to say he can't do this or that, and he's just the ultimate competitor," Robinson told NBA TV after the win. "When you put him on this stage, he'll just do whatever it takes to win. I think you guys all saw that tonight. I think you've seen it throughout this series.
"He makes it easy to play with when he's that aggressive, draws so much attention. For us, a lot of times it's just get out of the way. And he took us home tonight, absolutely."
Butler scored all eight of his fourth-quarter points with under two minutes remaining. Rookie Tyler Herro was the only other Heat player to score in that same timeframe, icing the game on two free throws with 1.6 seconds left.
Butler, 31, cited his ability to lead in the clutch as the reason Heat president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra recruited him so heavily in the offseason.
"That's what my team asked of me," Butler said postgame. "That's what they needed me to do. I think Coach Pat and Coach Spo brought me here for that reason: to help us win games. I have to continue to do that for two more games. I know that I'm capable of it, but I've got a hell of a group of guys around that make my job a lot easier.
"I'm fortunate for those guys because when I'm passing it they're making shots. When I get beat going to the rim, they're there. So, we're in this thing together but they give me a lot of confidence to go out there and hoop."
Adebayo believes the Heat can ride Butler's incredible play to a historic comeback in the bubble.
"He just has to keep being special, I'm going to keep gassing him up," Adebayo said, courtesy of NBA TV. "If he's going to keep playing like that, we're going to keep getting W's. I'll be the biggest cheerleader on the team."