Jimmy Butler on Heat's Loss to Celtics: MIA Better When Doing Things 'The Hard Way'

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler suggested Tuesday night that a Game 4 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals did little to deter the team from closing out the series.

According to ESPN's Nick Friedell, Butler even indicated that facing some slight adversity could be a good thing, saying: "If anything, it will build momentum for us knowing that we have to play with a lot more energy. We've got to play like our backs are against the wall. But I think all year long, we've been better when we've had to do things the hard way."

After falling behind 3-0 in the series, the Celtics had their backs against the wall Tuesday night in Miami, and they responded with a much-needed 116-99 victory.

Jayson Tatum came up huge for Boston in the win, dropping a game-high 33 points to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists.

While the Heat played their worst game of the series by far, Butler was productive once again, leading Miami with 29 points, plus nine rebounds and five assists.

The 33-year-old has essentially willed the Heat to wins on multiple occasions during these playoffs, and he is putting up monster numbers with 29.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 14 playoff contests.

In the Eastern Conference Finals alone, Butler is averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals.

The Heat entered the 2022-23 season with huge expectations after making it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but they disappointed for much of the campaign.

Miami went just 44-38 during the regular season, which was only good enough for seventh place in the East, and it required the Heat to go through the postseason play-in tournament.

They lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the game for the seventh seed before facing and beating the Chicago Bulls in a do-or-die game for the eighth seed.

Miami then had to take on a Milwaukee Bucks team that posted the best record in the NBA during the regular season, and with Butler leading the way, the Heat shocked the basketball world by taking down the NBA championship favorites in five games.

It was clear at that point that the Heat were for real, and they have continued to prove it by beating the New York Knicks 4-2 in the second round and racing out to a 3-0 series lead against Boston.

Tuesday's win did give the Celtics new life, but they still have an uphill climb against a Heat team that is battle-tested and led by one of the best playoff performers in recent memory in Butler.

The Heat have already made it to at least the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the past four seasons, and if they can find a way to close out the Celtics, they will be heading to their second NBA Finals in the past four campaigns.