Jimmy Butler made a very strong statement despite losing both Game 4 and Game 5
Within more than 48 hours, the score of the Eastern final series from 3-0 became 3-2. The Miami Heat used to have a huge advantage with a record of winning the first three matches, but now things are more fragile when the Boston Celtics won 2 games in a row.
Game 5, which took place on the morning of Friday, May 26, was the latest defeat that the Heat had to receive, losing 110-97. Both playing poorly, and helpless before the close match of the opponent, the Miami collective "raised the white flag" from the beginning of the 4th half and let the substitutes on the field.
Teams have fallen 3-0 down hundreds of times in NBA Playoffs history, but only 15 times these series have been shortened to 3-2, lasting up to 6 games.
The final result of the series is unknown, the Boston Celtics have partly made history and are having a great mental advantage to continue to raise hopes of a comeback. Fans also gradually believe in Boston's ability to make a story, especially when they see the Miami Heat play weakly in the last two matches.
It's quite interesting that on the side of the Miami Heat and especially Jimmy Butler, he doesn't show any concern. The 33-year-old star is still full of confidence and insists on ending the Eastern final series with a win in Game 6.
“We always keep a positive mindset, know well and believe that we can absolutely win this series. We will finish everything at home (in the next match - PV)," Butler told reporters.
Talking more about the game and what needs to be improved, Jimmy thinks that the Miami Heat entered the game too slowly in Game 5, allowing the Boston Celtics to flourish from the beginning and catch up well. From there, they comfortably competed and won the match.
“We need to play better, play better. We need to make it difficult for our opponents from the start. They are flourishing and can catch up very soon so we need to prevent that from happening again," Butler added.
Game 5 was Jimmy Butler's worst game of all this year's Playoffs. He scored 14 points with 5-10 FG, with 5 more rebounds and 5 assists. He spent most of the fourth half on the bench when coach Erik Spoelstra decided to "raise the white flag" early.
Despite losing two matches in a row, Butler always had a smile on his face. Similar to Game 4, television cameras once again caught the image of Jimmy smiling brightly when Game 5 had more than 2 minutes left. At that time, the Heat were leading by the Celtics with a score of 107-90.
For Jimmy Butler, confidence has always been something he never hides. Last season, when the Miami Heat were knocked out by Boston in the Eastern finals after seven games, Butler vowed to "come back to the right place and win".
Despite many difficulties this season, the Miami superstar is still keeping his promise. He and his teammates started from the play-in series to get the 8th seed, then beat the New York Knicks and then eliminated the 1st seed - Milwaukee Bucks.
Now, Jimmy Butler will need to show his class at least once again at Game 6 against the Boston Celtics, completing his "revenge" as well as his declaration a year ago.
Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Eastern Finals series will take place at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, May 28 at Kaseya Center, Miami's home ground.
