Jimmy Butler Says Heat Will Still Win 'F--king Championship' Despite 2-5 Start

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler remains supremely confident about the team's NBA title aspirations despite a slow start to the 2022-23 season.

"We're still going to win the championship, and I don't care what nobody says," Butler told Sam Amick of The Athletic in an interview released Tuesday. "Count us out. We're going to win the f--king championship. I'm telling you. I don't give a damn that we started 2-5."

Miami's early struggles have centered around a sluggish offense, which ranks 26th in points per game (108), 25th in field-goal percentage (44.9) and 24th in offensive efficiency (107.9 points per 100 possessions).

The Heat are coming off back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings to wrap up a three-game road trip, and their first game back home Tuesday night is a rematch with the reigning champion Dubs.

A tough slate has certainly been a factor in the early going, as Miami's strength of schedule ranks as the fifth-toughest in the NBA, per TeamRankings.

Butler told Amick there have been stretches in games where the Heat showcase their potential but that now it comes down to playing at that level "consistently."

"Yeah, we're 2-5, but we straight," Butler said. "We've got time, man. We've just got to play with a little bit more urgency and realize how fragile this thing is, trust in one another and play basketball the right way on both sides of the ball. There's a lot of good things, so I don't get discouraged."

A slow start isn't necessarily uncharted territory for the Heat.

In 2020-21, Miami started the campaign 7-14 before finding its stride en route to a 40-32 record that ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Butler is convinced an even more impressive turnaround is on the horizon this season.

"Y'all will look back at this, and be like, 'Oh man, they started 2-5 and they ended the season f--king 77-5,'" he told Amick.

While that's a bit ambitious, the Heat have a golden opportunity to start turning things around over the next few weeks. Six of their next seven games are at home, and aside from games against the Warriors and Phoenix Suns, most of the contests are highly winnable.

Even some modest offensive improvement should put Miami back on the path toward a playoff berth, leaving concerns about the slow start in the rear-view mirror.