Jimmy Butler Restores Hope for Heat with 40-Point Triple-Double

All season long, Jimmy Butler has been talking about being a pivotal player in an NBA Championship winning run.

On Sunday, the Miami Heat superstar began to realise that ambition which has driven him through a challenging postseason.

Despite being a five-time All-Star, Jimmy Butler was not necessarily destined for stardom. He was chosen last in the first round of the NBA Draft, and has had to fight for recognition. 

With the Miami Heat, it looks like Jimmy Butler has found the place where he can realise his potential. Throughout the postseason, he has been talking about being a player who can win games, and titles, for his team.

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The last such player to play for the Heat was LeBron James, lynchpin for their current Finals opponent. How fitting that Butler’s battle for ascension should be against LeBron and the favoured Los Angeles Lakers.

His 40 point triple-double on Sunday restored the series to 2 – 1 after the Heat lost the opening two games. He is the third player to record a 40-point triple-double in the Finals after Jerry West and LeBron James. 

Butler and James were seen to be trading tash talk during the game. Butler credits his current teammates for allowing him to compete with the best.

“It’s competition at its finest,” Butler said. 

“I think LeBron got the best of me way too many times. I respect the guy for it, but this is a different time now, a different group of guys that I have around me.”

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Just like the man he hopes to best, Butler isn’t getting carried away with individual achievements. After all, his team is still behind in the series.

“We won,” Butler said. 

“I could care less about a triple-double. I hope the next game I score zero, and y’all talk like y’all wanna talk, and we win, so I can come up here and say the same thing.

“We are going to win,” Butler continued. 

“We’re going to compete. We won’t lay down; we’re gonna fight back in this thing and even it up 2-2.”