Lakers’ Assistant Narrates How LeBron James Wanted to Impose His Authority on Jimmy Butler

The Los Angeles Lakers kick-started the 2020 NBA Finals by winning the first two games in the series. But soon after, they faced the wrath of Jimmy Butler, who unleashed himself in the subsequent games. That’s when LeBron James decided to take matters into his own hands. 

A couple of early injuries to their starters left the Miami Heat handicapped early in the series. Following the unfortunate events, the entire responsibility fell on Butler, who took on the challenge by himself. 

The 30-year-old stretched the series till Game 6 by posting two triple-doubles in Games 3 and 5. LeBron James felt he had enough after Miami won Game 5 on the back of Danny Green’s vital miss. The King wanted to take control of guarding Butler to limit his impact on the court. 

Of course, that is what leaders do. They take on the best player in the opposition and give them a hard time. Over the years LeBron James has proved how good of a defender he is, and he replicated the same when he took over Butler’s guarding duties. 

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Lakers’ assistant reveals how LeBron James demanded to guard Jimmy Butler in Game 6

Jimmy Butler clearly overturned what looked like an easy sweep for the Lakers. He averaged 26.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 8.3 rebounds in six games against the purple and gold and registered one of the greatest finals performances ever. 

But on the other side of the court was LeBron James, probably the greatest when it comes to the playoffs. He’s just different when it comes to the postseason. To prove the case, Lakers’ assistant coach Mike Penberthy revealed how LeBron demanded to guard Butler when the team was drawing up its Game 6 plans.

“LeBron says, ‘Coach, I want to guard Jimmy [Butler]. I want to match his minutes. I feel like I need to match up with him the whole game. I don’t want anybody else to guard him. I want to guard Jimmy Butler,’” Penberthy said about LeBron. 

“That’s leadership in a nutshell right there. You just basically said, “I’m going to be the best player in the game and I’m gonna guard the other team’s best player and that’s what we’re going to do,” he added. 

And LeBron James got what he wanted. He was in charge of guarding Butler in Game 6, and the results were massively evident. The 4x MVP reduced Butler to just 12.0 points in the game, the lowest he scored in the series. 

Also Read: Why Jimmy Butler Could Never Find Success Prior to Miami Heat