Jimmy Butler was a no-show in the opening game of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. The Miami Heat needed their talisman to be at his best against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, but unfortunately for Miami supporters, Butler came up way short in Game 1. Unsurprisingly, the Nuggets took control of the contest from the get-go, en route to a dominant 104-93 win for the home team.

It also comes as no surprise that the Jimmy Butler hate train is now on full throttle after his poor showing in the series opener. It seems like the naysayers were already prepared to fire their shots at Butler even before the game started. As soon as it was over, it was an absolute hate fest on the means streets of Twitter:

Related Miami Heat NewsArticle continues below
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) looks to shoot in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena.
Bam Adebayo’s All-Defensive snub snaps 5-year Heat streak
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dribbles the basketball against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third quarter during game three for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center.
Could Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins be Lakers trade targets?

https://twitter.com/kgoatyo/status/1664451259103944705

They went full savage on Jimmy, and in truth, it isn't a complete surprise that the haters were loud and proud after that forgettable performance. In arguably their biggest game of the season thus far, Jimmy fell flat, finishing with just 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He did not attempt a single free throw in this one, and he went just 1-of-2 from distance. The six-time All-Star did log seven rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block to salvage his line, but in the end, it clearly wasn't enough against the Nuggets.

Knowing Butler, all this noise is only going to motivate him ahead of Game 2. The Heat have thrived as the underdogs and at this point, they have no other choice but to do so yet again for the rest of this series.