MIAMI — Jimmy the butler said he knows that many people in the NBA world do not believe in the number seven seed Heat Miami could once again make it through the Eastern Conference knockouts this season, but he doesn’t care.
As he prepares to take the organization to the first play-in with the 8th seed Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, Butler did so with the same defiant attitude he carried throughout much of his career.
“No,” Butler said after Monday’s training session when asked if he would accept the underdog role after reaching the knockout stages last year as No. “It’s all the same. No one picked us to win last year. So who cares. You all won’t pick us this year, still don’t care.”
“Ten years from now, you still won’t choose us. Still don’t care.”
Butler, who took the Heat to the pinnacle of another Finals last season before a heartbreaking loss to Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, was asked if he felt he had to bring the same mindset into the league after this season. He averaged 27.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists for the Heat in 17 post-season games a year ago.
“I’ll do whatever it takes for my team to win, night after night,” Butler said. “And honestly, I don’t care what people write, if I’m a good basketball player or a bad basketball player. Coach Pat [Riley] and the coach [Erik Spoelstra] don’t bring me here for what you write, in the most respectful way possible. When I take on [Tuesday’s] game and we get that dub, we’ll worry about what happens after that, but I think I’ll be a decent basketball player at the end of the day.”
Like he did on Sunday, Spoelstra reiterated after Monday’s practice that he wants his team to embrace the experience.
“First of all, I think this is going to be fun,” Spoelstra said after last Sunday’s win Orlando magic. “I think you have to embrace this new experience. As for the old heads of our dressing room, each of us has had a long NBA career and no one has had this opportunity. I think that’s the thing. It’s been great for the tournament. The last six, eight weeks for 16 teams in the West and East, it’s been great to compete.”
