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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have turned the tide in the NBA Finals. While everyone expected the Lakers to take a 3-0 lead, a man named Jimmy Butler stood in their way.

Butler had one of the best games of his entire career, finishing with a 40 point triple-double against the best team in the West. With this win in the books, the Heat can focus on Game 4 much better.

The Heat have already proved how deadly they are when they sent home the Bucks and Celtics in the postseason. Jimmy’s intensity was the spark that lit the fire back then, and that was the case with Game 3 as well.

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When a leader leads from the front, the team’s morale is boosted. Butler proved this when he shouted, “They’re in trouble!” during the fourth quarter.

Jimmy’s intensity has fueled the Heat so far and they need the same aggression moving forward. Although the Heat won by 11 points, it felt like a blowout. No one had expected Butler to go off and crush the Lakers’ defense the way he did.

It remains to be seen if they can carry this momentum to the next game as well.

Will Jimmy Butler help his team to overcome the mighty Lakers?

USA Today via Reuters

While heading into Game 3, Butler’s Heat were already counted out from the scene. But they proved their doubters wrong and crushed the Laker in that game. In the post-game interview, Butler talked about how they managed to upset the Lakers. He said:

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We rebounded. That’s going to be the key going forward. We gotta keep those guys off the board and limit their second-chance points, we got back pretty well, and that also helps to make shots… I don’t care about a triple-double, I don’t care about none of that, I really don’t. I wanna win, we did that, I am happy with the outcome.”

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Like Butler said, winning is more important than any stat. As long as your team is the one to walk out with a “W” in the column, the job was done well. The Lakers are on the verge of blowing the 2-0 lead in the next game, and if Butler comes back with the same level of intensity and aggression, the Heat can make a comeback.

What do you think? Will the Lakers lock up Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in Game 4 or not?