Jimmy Butler Says Heat 'Can and Will Win This Series' After Game 5 Loss vs. Celtics
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is still confident his team will finish off the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals despite the C's winning Games 4 and 5 to ward off elimination following three straight losses in the best-of-seven matchup.
"We just gotta play better, start the game off better on the starters. Make it more difficult for them. They're in a rhythm since the beginning of the game, but we're always going to stay positive knowing that we can and we will win this series, and we'll just have to close it out at home," Butler told reporters after Game 5.
Boston jumped out to a 20-5 lead and never looked back en route to outscoring Miami 35-20 in the first quarter on Thursday. The Celtics led by as many as 24 points and never trailed.
The starters struggled in particular. Four of five Boston starters scored 21 or more points led by Derrick White's 24. Meanwhile, the Heat starters scored just 44 points combined.
The Heat are in danger of becoming the first team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after taking a 3-0 lead. Boston has blown the Heat out in the last two contests, notably winning Game 4 116-99 in Miami to send the series back north.
Still, the Heat jumped out to a 3-0 lead for numerous reasons, namely fantastic play from Butler and a strong supporting cast that has helped lead to some dominant second-half performances, particularly a 46-point third quarter in Game 1.
Game 6 will go down on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET in Miami's Kaseya Center.
