Jimmy Butler promised the depleted Heat, against all odds, were not dead yet. The Heat star made sure of it, and made sure the Lakers were not going to run away with a Finals sweep.
Butler, despite missing two top contributors in Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo, willed Miami to victory in one of the great triple-double playoff performances ever.
Butler, the former Bull, lit up the Disney Bubble with a ferocious 40 points in the game of his life, stealing the stage from LeBron James and the Lakers. Butler attacked the hole for contested layups, hitting a variety of short jumpers and leading Miami to a stunning 115-104 victory Sunday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The Heat now close to within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Butler finished with 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. He was 14 of 20 from the field and 12 of 14 from the line. Butler is only the third player to ever post a 40-point triple-double in Finals history.
“I could care less about a triple-double,’’ Butler said. “We play this game to win. You guarantee me a win, I could care less.”
Miami signed Butler in July 2019 for this moment.
“How else do you say it other than Jimmy effing Butler,’’ Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But this is what he wanted, this is what we wanted. Just put his imprint on every important part of the game. He’s in the top percentile of this entire association in terms of conditioning and you saw he just got stronger as the game went on. This is why we pursued Jimmy so aggressively.’’
No, it’s not over yet. In fact, Butler could be heard joining a final-minute huddle and saying aloud, “They’re in trouble.’’
Afterward, Butler said he was “returning the favor’’ as James made a similar comment to him in the first half.
“That’s competition at its finest,’’ Butler said. “I think LeBron has got the best of me way too many times. I respect the guy for it, but this is a different time now. We’re not going to lay down, we’re going to fight back in this thing, even it up 2-2.’’
James paid his respect.
“I thought Jimmy was phenomenal,’’ James said. “He did everything they needed him to do tonight. We’ll watch film to see what we can do better [against him] in Game 4.’’
Butler’s banked-in runner with 1:10 left gave him 40 points and clinched the win as Miami went up nine points. Butler racked up 10 points in the final period to hold off the Lake Show, absorbed all their contact and wouldn’t be denied.
“He was a leader out there and we all followed him,’’ said rookie Tyler Herro, who finished with 17 points.
Miami took advantage of Anthony Davis’ first-half foul trouble and came out like gangbusters to start the second half with a 10-0 spree. The Lakers still looked lackluster as they missed their first eight shots of the second half to fall behind by 14 points, 68-54.
Butler somehow outclassed the great James (25 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 8 turnovers) and foul-plagued Davis (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), who faced triple teams and didn’t adjust.
Indeed the Lakers’ superstar duo combined for 13 turnovers. The tone of the night was set when the Lakers committed seven turnovers in the opening 7:15 and fell behind by 13.
James was called for two traveling violations — a referee rarity — in the fourth quarter when the Lakers were in striking distance.
“We can’t turn the ball over against this team and I’ll take full responsibility for that,’’ James said.
Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo delivered a hard foul in the final minute of the third quarter on a Butler drive, going for a block but getting all face. Butler stayed down for a minute but kept on ticking, entering the fourth quarter with 30 points.
As in Game 1, Miami built a 13-point lead midway through the first quarter at 22-9. The Lakers got back into it but never got over hump, leaving the court after a whistle with 0.5 seconds left, thinking it was over. Their timing was off all night.