Jimmy Butler doesn't seem to be at all stressed after the Miami Heat were defeated by the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals. With two full off days before Heat-Nuggets Game 2 Sunday night, Jimmy Butler made sure to enjoy his time off the court in Denver.
“My daughter is out here, so ripping and running with her,” Butler told reporters when asked how he decompressed after Game 1 of the NBA Finals, via The Athletic. “Played a lot of Spades. Spades didn’t go too well for me yesterday, now that I think about it. I’m going to do an escape room tonight. I think my guys went and saw Spiderman today. Just doing normal stuff, because at the end of the day, I’m as normal as they come. It’s not always about basketball.”
In the 104-93 Game 1 loss against the Nuggets, the Heat didn't get the version of Playoff Jimmy Butler who ran roughshod through the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Butler scored 13 points on 14 shot attempts. Butler averaged 20.4 field-goal attempts in the conference finals against the Boston Celtics.
It wasn't just Butler who played poorly in Game 1. After nearly beating out Butler for the conference finals MVP award, Caleb Martin had just three points in 25 minutes. Max Strus didn't score a single point against the Nuggets.
If Butler is concerned about the Heat, he certainly isn't showing it.
“I would like to say that I'm never rattled,” Butler said. “I'm very calm. I'm very consistent in everything that I do, whether it's before the game, after the game, during the game, and I think when my guys look at me like that, they follow suit in every single way. I love that about them because they're never shook. No matter what.”
The Nuggets host the Heat in Game 2 Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.