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Miami Heat All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler once again came through in the clutch for his team in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
At the end of the fourth quarter, Butler hit a 3-pointer to give the Heat the lead, but the Celtics forced the game into overtime.
However, Butler didn't panic and remained calm because he knew he was going to have an opportunity to win the game for Miami. In the overtime period, Jimmy Buckets scored an and-1 basket on Jayson Tatum, which turned out to be the winning bucket after Bam Adebayo blocked Tatum's game-winning attempt on the other end.
During his media session with Heat reporters, Butler revealed the key to his success in crunch time.
“I think I’m just calm because I know my role,” Jimmy Butler said, via The Athletic.
“I know what I’m supposed to do down the stretch. Of course, (coach Erik Spoelstra) is barking at me to make a play or to get a bucket, something like that. But I mean, my teammates are the same way. I think we do a great job of knowing where the ball has to go, who has a mismatch.”
Butler finished Game 1 with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 43 minutes. The five-time All-Star is three wins away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in his NBA career, which is incredible when you consider Butler was homeless at one point growing up in Texas after his mom kicked him out of the house.
The Heat, who are so thankful to have Butler be the new face of the franchise in the post-Dwyane Wade era, have been silencing doubters left and right all year long. Behind the stellar play of Butler, Adebayo, Goran Dragic and the rest of a deep roster, Miami is three victories away from getting to the Finals for the first time since 2014.
