When LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers two years ago, many believed that the Purple and Gold were destined to win at least one title down the road. After all, James has proven that he can turn any team into a title contender. Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat knows this for a fact. If he wants to win it all and call himself a champion, then they have to overcome the James-led Lakers squad.
Per Ben Golliver of The Washington Post, Butler briefly harked back to James' eight consecutive NBA Finals run from 2011 to 2018. Every single team — at least those in the Eastern Conference — were practically stonewalled by James-led teams during this time.
“It’s been like this for a very long time: If you want to win, you’ll have to go through a LeBron James-led team… That’s what it normally comes down to… You’re going to get the same test over & over until you pass it. That test is LeBron James.”
Heat’s Jimmy Butler on Finals: “It’s been like this for a very long time: If you want to win, you’ll have to go through a LeBron James-led team… That’s what it normally comes down to… You’re going to get the same test over & over until you pass it. That test is LeBron James.” pic.twitter.com/zlYYE1vRgr
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 28, 2020
In fact, when Jimmy Butler was with the Chicago Bulls, he faced the James-led Heat in the 2013 Eastern Conference Semis. They were booted out in five games. And in 2015, in James' second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Butler and the Bulls were eliminated in six games in the Conference Finals again.
Now, Butler has a chance to redeem himself. Before, he was a role player with not a lot of experience under his belt. Now, he's a bonafide star and the leader of the gutsy Heat squad. Butler knows who he's facing. And he has a lot of confidence in himself and in his team.
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