The Miami Heat did it. Despite the odds being stacked against them yet again, this team pulled off a massive Game 2 victory on Sunday night to steal away home-court advantage from the Denver Nuggets. The NBA Finals is now tied 1-1 as the series shifts to Miami for Games 3 and 4, giving the Heat a significant advantage.
After the game, Heat superstar Jimmy Butler had a special message for his teammates. The Miami talisman appreciates the effort the entire team put in in this one, and he had nothing but high praise for his guys:
“They showed up and showed out. So much respect for my guys to stay with it,” Butler said. “Get one on the road. What else can you say? We won in a tough environment. We're going back to Miami 1-1.”
Butler wasn't bad in this one either, going for 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting, to go along with four rebounds, nine assists, and just one turnover in 40 minutes of action. It wasn't exactly a vintage performance from the six-time All-Star, but he had the support of the rest of his squad to carry the team to victory.
Gabe Vincent went off for a team-high 23 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Bam Adebayo messed around with 21 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and a totally commendable effort against Nikola Jokic. Duncan Robinson scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter as he too helped the Heat come out on top on Sunday night.
As Butler implied, the Heat will have a big advantage heading back to South Beach. The Nuggets, however, are far from done.