Miami Heat leader Jimmy Butler showed his talent on the court against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals with a couple of historic performances.
Yet, his best acts may have come off the floor.
Heat teammates Goran Dragic and Duncan Robinson told Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated a few of the things Butler did off the court to lift their spirits during the NBA Finals.
“Jimmy always checked on me,” Dragic said. “After a few days he said, G, that’s enough. Let’s get out of your room, let’s hang out. He was telling me injuries are part of sports. It happens. He’s always such a positive guy. I’m really grateful for him.”
Dragic, 34, sadly got injured during Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals. He was forced to sit out for the majority of the series.
Of course, Dragic played a huge role in helping the Heat advance so far in the playoffs. The veteran collected 19.1 points, 4.4 assists and 4.1 boards per contest during the Heat’s magical postseason run.
Nadkarni also highlighted how Butler helped turn Robinson’s fortunes around in the title series.
“Dragic wasn’t Butler’s only responsibility,” Nadkarni wrote. “After averaging only 4.5 points through the first two games against L.A., Robinson was feeling he had let his team down. Around midnight the night before Game 3, Butler came pounding on Robinson’s door. For 20 minutes, Butler told Robinson not to lose his confidence, that his shooting would win his team a game. Then for the next hour they talked about everything except basketball. Robinson cleared his mind and averaged 16.5 points for the rest of the series, including a 26-point outburst in a Game 5 victory. ‘For him to show how much he really cared and valued my role on the team,’ says Robinson, ‘it meant a lot.'”
Robinson, 26, participated in his first playoff campaign last season.
The sharpshooter averaged 11.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists during the postseason. Butler clearly elevated the youngster’s spirits throughout the playoffs.
Furthermore, Butler backed up his encouragement with his own production on the floor. He put up a whopping 26.2 points, 9.8 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest in the 2020 NBA Finals.
