Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler has had many run-ins against LeBron James in the past back when he was still a member of the Chicago Bulls. The 6-foot-7 swingman once again figured in a collision course against the league's poster boy, this time on the grandest stage of basketball.
The Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers are the last two remaining teams in contention for the Larry O'Brien trophy. However, this time around, Jimmy Buckets believes he will finally get the upper hand over James — since he now has equally hungry teammates surrounding him.
“LeBron (James) has got the best of me way too many times. I respect the guy for it but this is a different time now, a different group of guys around me,” Butler said after Miami defeated the Lakers, 115-104, in Game 3 on Sunday, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post.
Jimmy Butler outplayed LeBron James the entire Game 3, as he put up 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. The King, on the other hand, had 25 markers, 10 boards and eight dimes in the losing effort.
This remark is actually Butler's second stern warning directed at James, as he also boldly told him that the Lakers are “in trouble” during the Heat's remarkable fourth-quarter push in Sunday's showdown.
It's hard to blame Butler for wanting to get back at James, considering he has been eliminated by LeBron's teams in the playoffs several times. That rivalry died down a bit when Butler moved to the West with the Timberwolves in 2017.
By the time Jimmy played for the Philadelphia 76ers last year, James also changed zip codes to Hollywood.
The Heat, meanwhile, has finally made it a series with a gutsy Game 3 win to cut LA's lead to 2-1. This certainly gives Butler more chances of getting even with James, since prolonging the series means Miami will get a chance to get Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic back from their injuries.
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