Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo understand that they need to play better for the Heat to win Monday night’s Game 7 in Boston, write Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami’s heartbreaking loss on Saturday featured wildly inefficient performances from its two stars, who combined to shoot 24.3% from the field. Even though he came close to a triple-double, Butler made just 5-of-21 shots and he took responsibility for the one-point defeat.
“Like I told the guys on the bench, I told the guys in the locker room, that if I play better, we’re not even in this position, honestly speaking,” Butler said. “And I will be better. That’s what makes me smile, because those guys follow my lead. So when I’m playing better, I think we’re playing better as a whole.”
Both Butler and Adebayo, who was 4-for-16, dismissed the idea that injuries are catching up to them. Butler suffered a sprained right ankle in the opener of the Heat’s second-round series, and Adebayo has been dealing with shoulder and hamstring issues.
“I see no excuses for that,” Adebayo said. “You know, when you want something as special as a championship, I feel like every guy in our locker room would go through a brick wall to get that.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Cody Zeller saw all the backup center minutes on Saturday as Kevin Love remained on the bench, Jackson and Chiang add. Neither player has been effective in the series, with the Heat getting outscored by 20 points in Love’s 61 minutes and by 21 points in Zeller’s 56 minutes.
- Miami will make history one way or the other tonight, either as the first play-in participant to reach the NBA Finals or the first team in league history to lose a series after taking a 3-0 lead. Heat players insist they won’t be intimidated by that potential infamy as they approach Game 7, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. “You’re going to get the same test until you pass it, I swear,” Butler said, referring to last season’s Game 7 between the two teams. “We were in this same position last year. We can do it. I know that we will do it. … We have got to go on the road and do something special.”
- Gabe Vincent is back on the Heat’s injury report, being listed as questionable for Game 7 with a sprained left ankle, Winderman tweets. Vincent was a game-time decision in Game 6, but he played 41 minutes and contributed 15 points and four rebounds.
Play Duncan and Highsmith more, and Love at the 5
I don’t get why Love didn’t play in gm6. Plus he’s only played 61 mins in this series. He was good against the Knicks. And you’d think his shooting and playoff experience would be an asset.
I agree Jimmy and Bam have to play better. They have to match Jalen and Jason or help shut them down.
Ira Winderman: Max Strus, “If anybody in the league is prepared for it, it’s our team.” – via Twitter IraHeatBeat
Oh Yeah Max. Like you being prepared those last 3 sec.
Coming in I wanted Nuggets vs Celtics. Cause it would be best matchup. Then the Heat were just playing. You had to root for them. Not a fan of either. But I guess I’m more a Celtic hater. But now that we are here gm7. I just don’t see Heat winning in Boston. Unless Jimmy impersonates MJ. And Bam has a big game.
I agree, Horford is putting up awful numbers but he stays on floor cause he always makes the right decision and has that playoff experience. Heat should be doing the same with Love.
Heat deserves a top notch PG. Maybe Dame or Kyrie.
Heat go down tonight. Grant Williams will shine!
Zeller saw all the backup C minutes? Yeah, that would be 2 minutes total. Each team is playing 7 guys, which is how it usually is at this stage of the playoffs.
In this day and age. I just don’t get why teams can’t go ten deep. But you are right
They certainly can (most teams do a version of it early in the year). As the season rolls into the playoffs and then the final games of it, the cost/benefit of playing a lot of guys changes.
I think most coaches feel the team performance is stronger if the best players see as many minutes as possible (top 7-8 usually cover all the positions). Assuming the stars get 40+ minutes, how many other players can you even give enough minutes to that they can stay in rhythm?
Thought Ham kinda got lost on this concept
You play Den just straight up, they are who they are and are not changing or making personnel adjustments
He shoulda just started Rui from the start and let him go 34+mins every game – Sometimes less is more and he just got way too cute, first time for Ham, experience should help
The dichotomy between how most coaches view personnel decisions, and how fans and much of the media view them, is so stark it can amusing. I think overall Ham did yeoman’s work this season, but with this one he may have forgotten which group he’s in.
Coaches best worship at the First Church of What’s Working Now (Michael Malone is on the board of regents). Let the 2k’ers flip guys in and out on the basis of what might work better, as they can just flip back and have nothing to lose except a video game. Coaches can not only lose games, but locker rooms, when they distribute roles and minutes based on hunches.
Bam watching d white rebound. Blame him