Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat pulled off another astounding victory on Friday, as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of their second-round playoffs matchup, 115-100.
Miami is now 3-0 up in the series, with Butler putting up another stellar performance. However, according to the All-Star swingman, Heat veteran Udonis Haslem played a huge role in motivating him throughout the contest.
After the win, Butler shared how Haslem was constantly in his ear all night long:
“He literally came to me and said, ‘Do not let us lose this game. Win it,'” Jimmy Butler said of the Heat big man, via ESPN's Nick Firedell. “And he came to me at about eight minutes in the third quarter. It was like: ‘Hit the switch. Turn it on.' And for him to be in my corner like that, he's played with some greats, let's not get that wrong. But for him to have that confidence in me, it goes a long way.”
Haslem's motivational tactics certainly worked wonders, as Jimmy Buckets finished with a game-high 30 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go with seven rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes of play.
For his part, Haslem is no longer the key player he once was for the Heat (at least on the court), and he has been relegated to a role on the bench. The 40-year-old has yet to log any minutes in the playoffs in the bubble, but there's no denying that he remains to be one of the most important players on the squad.
Haslem is this team's leader, and it is moments like this which proves just how valuable he is for Miami.
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