“We Want People to Continue to Count Us Out”: Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler is Locked in for the Eastern Conference Finals

A nine-point victory in Game 5 against the Bucks was enough for the Miami Heat to progress to the NBA Eastern Conference finals. Overall, the Heat have been outstanding, and few expected them to finish the job in just five games. Moreover, with this win, the Heat are now on course to make their first ECF appearance in six years!

‘The Heatles’ last carried Miami to the ECF in 2014 and went onto to the NBA finals, only to end up losing 4-1 to the San Antonio Spurs. However, this current Heat team is special, and the captain of the ship Erik Spoelstra is a genius. 

Spoelstra has been their head coach since 2008, and his rise through the ranks is an inspiring story. The 49-year-old has been with the team for the past 23 years, journeying with them through every bit of success and hardship. Thus, Spoelstra knows the level of effort they had to put in to reach where they are now. 

In his post-game press conference, Erik Spoelstra stressed the significance of the victory and what it means for them. “It’s not easy to get to the conference finals and our organization knows that. We’ve been trying desperately to get back to the conference finals,” Spoelstra said. 

“It’s not our ultimate goal. … But you can still acknowledge the journey and how hard it is to get to this point,” he added. 

The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler like to keep proving themselves right!

The Heat has found a new leader in Jimmy Butler, who has set the tone for the entire team with his hunger for victory. He’s one of the most selfless players ever, always putting the team as #1 priority. Butler’s move to the Heat in 2019 has reaped him enormous success, and the 30-year-old wants to keep grinding for more. 

After the series-clinching victory against the Bucks, Butler once again delivered a calm and poised post-game conference, where he informed about the Heat’s working culture. “We don’t care. We really don’t. And more than us proving them wrong, we’re just proving ourselves right. That’s what’s all about,” Butler said, delivering a response to the doubters.

“We know what we’ve been doing, day after day, month after month, all of that. And we like it that way. We want people to continue to count us out and we just gonna keep hooping,” he continued. “We’ll keep playing our best style of basketball and keep being the Miami Heat.”

This marriage between Jimmy Butler and the Heat is truly a special one. He is the player who suits their culture, and most importantly, sets a standard for his teammates as well. Under his brilliance, the Heat is shaping up to become one of the best in the East for years to come. 

Jimmy Butler shone bright in the five-game series against the Bucks to give his team the edge. He averaged 23.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists to propel Miami to upset a team that set the best regular-season record in the NBA.