Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are still possibly picking their scraps off the floor after getting obliterated by the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
After a ho-hum opening quarter, the Lakers poured it on in the second period to take a 17-point lead at halftime. From there, the Purple and Gold just unleashed a flurry of punches and never looked back, beating the Heat to a pulp.
It didn’t help the South Beach boys that they lost two of their integral cogs due to injury in Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo. Dragic left in the second quarter due to a foot injury, while Adebayo got sidelined in the third with a shoulder strain.
Butler, however, told reporters after the game that they shouldn’t make the injuries as an excuse. He emphasized they have no one to blame but themselves.
Jimmy Butler not leaning on Heat injuries as an excuse for Game 1: “We’ve talked about how damn near perfect we have to play. And that was nowhere near it.”
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 1, 2020
Prior to the series, the mercurial five-time All-Star said the Heat have to play almost a perfect game to upset the mighty Lakers. Jimmy Butler also admitted that any team that wants to win the title has to go through a LeBron James-led squad.
For what it's worth though, the Heat only shot 42.7 percent from the field and was outrebounded by 18 boards in the opening showdown of the championship series.
Butler, who had his own injury scare in the dying seconds of the first half after twisting his ankle, top-scored for the Heat with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He also chipped in five assists and two steals.
According to reports, Dragic suffered a plantar tear in his left foot and could be done for the remainder of the series. But if there’s a piece of good news for the Heat, Adebayo’s X-rays came out negative.
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