Jimmy Butler Says He's 'Tired of Losing' amid Heat's 4-Game Slump
The Miami Heat were expected to be one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference this season, but that has not been the case.
And Jimmy Butler is tired of it.
"I'm tired of losing," he told reporters after Miami's losing streak extended to four with Saturday's 108-103 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets. "We gotta figure this out very, very quickly."
While the first three losses during the streak came to teams in playoff position in the Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, Saturday's came against a Hornets team that is 19-43 and near the bottom of the league's standings.
The Heat fell to 32-29 as a result, which is seventh place in the Eastern Conference and has them in position to be in the pressure-packed play-in tournament.
There are still 21 games remaining for the Heat to make up the 2.5-game deficit they are facing when it comes to catching the sixth-seeded New York Knicks and avoiding that play-in tournament, but losing to teams like Charlotte will not help the cause.
Butler did what he could with 28 points and six assists behind 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 16-of-20 free-throw shooting. His ability to generate points from the foul line helped keep his team within striking distance after it fell behind by double digits in the first quarter, but two late baskets by Mark Williams secured the win for the hosts.
This is a Miami franchise that reached the 2020 NBA Finals and the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals with much of the same core still in place.
It was expected to battle with the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers for positioning near the top of the East, but instead Miami looks like it could be destined for the play-in if things don't get back on track soon.
The next seven games could be the difference, as the Heat play the third-place 76ers and fourth-place Cleveland Cavaliers two times each, as well as play-in candidates in the Knicks and eighth-place Atlanta Hawks in the other three contests.
An impressive showing in those seven games could put Miami in position to make a run even if things seem dire following a fourth straight defeat.
