The Butler Did It
Jimmy Butler spent Sunday night serving up a hot 'L' to LeBron's Los Angeles Lakers.
Shorthanded and with their backs against the wall, Butler willed Miami to a 115-104 victory in Game 3 to cut the Lakers' series lead to 2-1, and now, what looked to be a bore of a series just got interesting.
Earlier in the series, Butler said the Heat would need to play "damn near perfect" to have a shot against the likes of LeBron and Lakers running mate Anthony Davis.
With a 40-point triple-double — accomplished without taking a single three-pointer, it bears noting — Butler was about as close to perfection as can be in his nearly 45 minutes of court-time.
His head coach, Erik Spoelstra, summed it up in his postgame interview.
Butler was top of mind for many analysts Monday morning, including Skip Bayless.
In addition to staking a claim that Game 3 was the biggest single-game upset in NBA Finals history, Bayless put forth that Butler had The King's number any time it was called.
"He outplayed, head-to-head, LeBron James. He out-willed LeBron James. He out trash-talked LeBron James. And in the end, he even outlasted LeBron James, because I believe Jimmy Butler is in even better physical condition than LeBron James."
Along with putting up 40 points, Butler racked up 11 rebounds and 13 assists to round out his historic performance, surpassing LeBron in each of those statistical categories.
James posted 25 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists for the evening, and it's not very often that he gets bested across the board.
With two First Team All-NBA players leading their charge, the Lakers were always going to be a tall order for Miami.
As ESPN's Jay Williams pointed out: factor in being down two injured starters in Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo, and Butler's performance was nothing short of hero-like.
"When you watch the Lakers, they have Superman [and] they have Thor, right? You're like, 'Whoa, there's no way we can beat that.' And then all of a sudden you go against Miami, and they have Batman. A guy who's just molded by the darkness.
"It felt like you watched the Miami Heat snatch the life out of the Lakers in Game 3."
It's undeniable that Butler put on a cape for Game 3, but some analysts still feel as if the outcome was more of a referendum on how LA's success hinges on Davis being a difference-maker, rather than Miami's ability to take down the Lakers.
The Brow had just 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, numbers that NBA legend Charles Barkley said are prohibitive to a Lakers triumph.
"When Anthony Davis doesn't dominate, they're not going to win. ... They've got two guys who are amazing. But if those two guys don't play great, they Lakers aren't going to win."
FOX Sports NBA analyst Chris Broussard shared a similar sentiment immediately following the game, giving the undermanned Heat kudos, but stopping well short of saying they're back in the series.
"As much as I want to give those guys respect, because they deserve it, a lot of this was about the Lakers. The Lakers just didn't show up ... So, congratulations to the Heat. It's now a 2-1 series. It still ends in five [games]."
Tipoff for Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m ET, and the hope is that Bam Adebayo will be back in the lineup.
We'll see if he can represent Robin for Miami, after the Heat were carried by their Batman in Game 3.
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