Jimmy Butler understands that he and Bam Adebayo need to step up if they want to keep the Miami Heat alive in their playoffs series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Butler acknowledged his and the team's shortcomings following their brutal Game 2 loss that saw the Bucks win 132-98 and take a 2-0 lead. Butler was inefficient all game long and finished with the worst plus-minus rating (-34) among Heat players, putting up just 10 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals.
After the contest, Butler admitted they need to simply play better while looking at the positive side of things: they “can't play any worse” than they did on Monday,
Jimmy Butler: we know what we have to do better…I think the bright spot is that you can't play any worse pic.twitter.com/r5GUspjbLo
— Brendan Tobin (@Brendan_Tobin) May 25, 2021
However, the Heat star did highlight the need for him and his All-Star teammate Adebayo to “impose” their will more. He noted that they may have been a “little lost” in trying to get everyone involved, which is clearly not working for the team.
Jimmy Butler: I think sometimes Bam and I get a little lost in getting everyone involved. It's not a bad thing. I think that's what has made us really good players in this league but sometimes we gotta go, myself especially…maybe we gotta impose our will a little more. pic.twitter.com/btUxgmIARy
— Brendan Tobin (@Brendan_Tobin) May 25, 2021
The Heat are facing a tough challenge in getting back from the 2-0 hole, but if there's any team that can do it, it's the South Beach franchise. After all, they have proven in last year's playoffs what they are capable of–reaching the NBA Finals despite preseason predictions largely writing them off.
It remains to be seen what adjustments Erik Spoelstra will make in Game 3, but fans can expect Jimmy Butler to take things up a notch and be more aggressive in a bid to defend their East title and avoid an early postseason exit.
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