Far from losing his temper after losing in the first game of the NBA Finals, Jimmy Butler, the star of the Miami Heat, assured this Saturday that they remain confident that they can prevail over the Denver Nuggets in the fight for the ring.
“We’re fine, we really are. We are very calm. We are very serene. We are still very confident. She hasn’t gone anywhere. We will always believe in each other, no matter what, be it at home or at home. And we’re still going to get four wins,” he told a news conference.
That message, that he believes that they can and that they are going to “achieve four victories”, Butler repeated it over and over again this Saturday before the microphones.
“With 1-0 down (…), we are there laughing, smiling, knowing that we could play better. We will play better. We have to be better if we want to win”, he stated
The Nuggets signed a great debut this Thursday in the first Finals in their history and subdued the Heat with authority to take advantage in the fight for the NBA ring (104-93, 1-0 in the series).
Butler did not have his best day and finished the game with 13 points (6 of 14 shooting), 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
“I have to be more aggressive putting pressure on the rim”admitted the Miami star.
“I think that makes everyone’s job easier. My teammates copy me when I’m aggressive on both sides of the game. So I have to be the one to go out (in the next game) and start the right way, which I will, and we will see where we end up”, he developed.
Butler also noted that he keeps his faith 100 percent in teammates who had a poor first meeting like Caleb Martin and Max Strus, who shook hands on poor 1-for-17 shooting and 3 points between them.
“I tell them: ‘I’m still going to pass the ball to you and if you miss the next ten and you’re open in the eleventh, I’m still going to throw the ball to you because you’ll never be the reason we lose,'” he said.
“It’s always a team effort and I want them to take the same shots. (…) and continue to be aggressive,” he closed.
This Sunday the second game of the Finals will be played in Denver before the series goes to Miami, which will host the third and fourth games on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.