NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

September 27, 2020

Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat

Game 6: Postgame

Miami Heat 125, Boston Celtics 113

Q. It's been exactly a year since your introductory press conference with the Miami Heat a year ago today. Could you imagine you’d be sitting where you're sitting now?

JIMMY BUTLER: Actually, yeah. I said it time and time again. I believe in our group. I know that we can still win four more. We're not satisfied. We're not complacent. We know we've got a really good team to go up against. We can enjoy it for the night. We said this from the beginning of the year.

Q. Bigger picture question for you. Three teams in three seasons. What's it like to find the right fit and how validated do you feel in your decisions?

JIMMY BUTLER: I think that's what this whole thing comes down to is being wanted, being appreciated for what you bring to the table, and as I've said time and time again, as Spo constantly says, we're not for everybody, I'm not for everybody, but here, I am. The guys we have, we're for one another. We're going to constantly compete for one another, and this is home for me.

Q. It's been a year since your introductory press conference and today is the one-year anniversary. What's this year been like for you, obviously getting ingrained in the Heat quote, unquote, culture, and becoming one of the leaders on this team?

JIMMY BUTLER: A lot of ups and downs. Obviously everything that's happened in 2020.

But from a basketball standpoint, couldn't be better. You talk about where we are right now going into the Finals, that's what I want. We talked about it and put that out there in the world, and I think all that positive energy we put out, it came back to us. We believed when not too many did, but that's okay. We're going to keep believing and get these next four.

Q. Bam took all the blame after the loss a few days ago. For him to come out like, this what does it say about the player he's becoming?

JIMMY BUTLER: That's what stars do. They find a way to win. They impact winning. He's done it all year long, along with so many other guys.

It's like I say, any other game, you never know who it's going to be on any given night because you can't key in on one guy. We have so much trust in each other, and we have a lot of trust in Bam, and Bam makes sure that we win the game tonight.

Q. Spo came in and told the story about the night you met with them and said you didn't even hear their sales pitch and told him and Pat that you're in. Can you take us through your version of that night?

JIMMY BUTLER: That's basically what it was. Spo and Coach Pat knew what they was doing. They was blasting my guy, Dermot Kennedy, when we walked in. I was like, "I'm home." It's easy. Obviously D-Wade told me about it. I wanted parts of that, the work; the culture, the word that everybody uses. I know y'all are tired of hearing it but it's real.

More than anything, they wanted me to be here. They told me, like, "Yo, you're the guy that we want. We're coming after you." It was like, say no more. To be wanted, that's what anybody wants in the world, not just basketball. So I'm happy to be home.

Q. Your first NBA Finals, do you view yourself and your team, the team that was seeded higher than you, how were you able to do that?

JIMMY BUTLER: Together. That's how we were able to do it. I don't look at five-seed or one-seed. It's all about who is playing the best basketball at the right time.

I feel like we're still yet to play our absolute best basketball, but along the way, we realize what we have to do moving forward.

So we have to be near perfect to beat the Lakers. We're capable of it. But we're not worried about no five-seed or one-seed. We're worried about us and being the best Miami Heat team that we can be.

Q. What's your impression of Pat Riley at this stage of his career, and how he’s able to have an impact?

JIMMY BUTLER: He wants to win, at everything. He's so much like everybody on this roster. And I'm sure he takes the losses just as hard as we do. You can tell that he's just as excited as we are whenever we win.

And those are the people that you fight for. You know, you run through a wall for, because he's in it with you. Every practice, he's sitting over there on the side, coaching a little bit while Spo is out there, too. He put this together. He knew what he was doing. He believed in it from day one, and whenever you've got that, you can do something special.

Q. You've gone against LeBron for a lot of years, and I know it's never about one guy when you're trying to defend him because you've got the group, but what are the keys that you've picked up over time that you can use now moving forward in this series?

JIMMY BUTLER: The main key, and it's been like this for a very long time, if you want to win, you're going to have to go through a LeBron James-led team. At the end of the day, that's what it normally comes down to. That's what we got to focus in on. Obviously you can't focus in on him because he has so many really good players around him, but you're going to get the same test over and over again until you pass, and that test is LeBron James.

Q. We've seen the close relationship you and Goran have had all season and you've put a lot of years in the NBA. Did you get any special moments after the win and what it means to get here?

JIMMY BUTLER: Without a doubt. Everybody knows how we feel about him, but I always tell him all the time I really, really, really appreciate him, but his brother, Zoki, that's probably my favorite Dragic. I've never played with him, but I've heard so many good things about him. So he's No. 2 in my book.

Q. How would you explain the impact that Bam had in the fourth quarter, especially the way that he said he let everybody down just two days ago?

JIMMY BUTLER: He didn't let anybody down. We played bad as a whole.

But I love the fact that he wants that pressure. He wants all of that on his shoulders. That's why he's the heart and soul of this team. He's one of our leaders. That's what stars do. He's put himself on the map since he's come into the league, and he's huge for us, will continue to be that for us, and he knows how special he has to play in these next four wins.

Q. Spo said when he was talking to us that this group is filled with a lot of guys that are overlooked and been told that they are 'less than.’ I know the underdog story is a really big one for you guys, but to hear him acknowledge that and say that that that's what makes this team so special, how does that feel to hear that?

JIMMY BUTLER: It feels good. I don't like the word underdog because we have a team full of NBA guys just like the next team does. We're just in this together. Everything we do is together. We win together, we lose together, and we love being around one another. I think that's what makes us special is through the ups and through the downs, we always got each other's back.

And here in Miami, we want to win like that. We're capable of doing it like that. With Spo at the head of this thing, we're going to be special.

Q. Your leadership style has always been candid and straightforward for better or worse. When did you find your voice and when did you feel it was embraced by the Miami Heat this season?

JIMMY BUTLER: Probably whenever I became a decent player in this league. I didn't have too much to say at all whenever I was first coming out of college. You know, I didn't think that my 0.2 points per game would be the difference in winning and losing, but maybe 20 points per game might be.

I always just wanted to win, do whatever it took to win. Nobody is taking it personally because we all have the same agenda. It's not for stats. It's not for fame. It's not for none that. It's to win a championship. My leadership style, it works here.

Q. Did you have any idea Bam was capable of influencing the game so many ways like he did tonight?

JIMMY BUTLER: I pay attention to it. I pay attention to a lot of guys -- to just play hard. Because whenever you want to admit it or not, that's a talent. It's hard to play hard for 48 minutes and I knew that he was going to be key in what we were trying to do. Talking to Coach Pat and talking to Coach Spo and them saying what he can do, but then when you actually get out there with him it's so different because he really can do it better than anybody can say that he can.

I just love being around him. He's a good dude. He cares about winning. He cares about his teammates. He's the heart and soul of this thing, I keep saying it, but he's going to be the reason that we win a championship.

Q. Mention the positive energy coming back to the team at this point. Can you mention some key things that stands out for this team to just be able to handle the bubble, per se, up to this point?

JIMMY BUTLER: We're just competitors. We'd love to be playing in front of fans, but we just want to be the best team night-in and night-out. That's it. Whenever nobody's watching us play or whenever we're practicing, it's always about winning and this is no different. We want to show that we are the best team. So in the bubble, neutral site, home or away, we are here for a reason.

Q. What are the main strengths of the team to fight against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals?

JIMMY BUTLER: We're just going to have to play hard. We're going to have to play damn near perfect because they are such a good team. They do so many things well. Obviously you know the star power that they have.

We are not going to back down, though. We are going to worry about us. We are going to lock into this film. We are going to be ready to go. I think it will be some must-see TV.

Q. How does it feel to be there, to finally there at the Finals?

JIMMY BUTLER: It feels everything that I thought it would be, especially with this group of guys. But we're not done yet. So just because we are here, we haven't won anything. We haven't done what we set out to do. So we will enjoy this, knowing our best basketball is still ahead of us.