NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. HEAT

October 2, 2020

Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat

Game 2: Postgame

Los Angeles Lakers-124, Miami Heat-114

Q. A lot of people will look at the injuries that you guys had, they will look at the fact that you're down two games to zero and you're up against LeBron and Anthony Davis and they will say, this series is over. What don't those people know about you and this organization?

JIMMY BUTLER: That we're never giving up. We're going to fight and we're going to ride with this thing until the wheels fall off. It's not over. We're just down 0-2, so we got to do something special. We're capable of it and I wouldn't want to be in the trenches with any other guys except for the ones that we have.

Q. What is it about your group and you that can overcome this kind of adversity and this kind of situation?

JIMMY BUTLER: I think we just believe. We believe in one another. We believe in what we put together and we believe in what we do every day. But like I said at the beginning of this thing, we got to play damn near perfect in order to beat those guys over there. We have yet to do it and if we don't do it soon, it's not going to be pretty.

Q. Udonis Haslem gave you guys quite the speech in the third quarter, I would repeat what he said but I would be fined by the FCC. There was a pickup after that. What were the words that you can repeat that he said?

JIMMY BUTLER: Play harder.

Q. And what was the effect?

JIMMY BUTLER: Play harder. Empty the tanks. That's what we're going to have to do when we're down two stars like Bam and Goran. Everybody got to lock in, we got to be, you know, three places at once. It's so hard to do but we got guys that have to do it. That's what it's going to take to beat this team. That's what he said, play harder. That's what it's going to take for to us win a championship, play harder.

Q. Do you feel what he said affect you?

JIMMY BUTLER: What he said? Oh, yeah, yeah. I think that we got to do it from the jump though, it shouldn't take him telling us to do that.

But I like the way that we responded to it. But we got guys that when you tell them what it is, we normally respond. So maybe he should just start the game off cussing people out.

Q. Speaking of communication, you said the other night that you didn't need to say anything because everybody knew what to do and knew what you hadn't done in Game 1. As you go into Game 3 now do you feel like you have to go individually to guys and give them a little pick-me-up speech to keep everybody's spirits up given all the adversity you're facing?

JIMMY BUTLER: I think everybody's spirits are already up. I think we know that we still have yet to rebound the basketball. I mean, when you're giving guys two, three shots to put the ball in the basket, eventually one of them is going to go in.

I like the looks that we're taking on offense. We generated enough points, maybe we get back a little bit, foul a little bit less, but the main thing is rebounding. I don't think that we have to tell anybody that. Like I said earlier, maybe we just got to play a lot harder and know that that's how we're going to squeak out a win in the end, but there's really not too much to say to our guys, we understand what we have to do.

Q. Your approach tonight offensively obviously without Goran and Bam, you were setting up teammates, 13 assists, can you just speak to what your mindset was. Tyler said they were trying to get the ball in your hands every time they could.

JIMMY BUTLER: Just make the right basketball play, knowing that I need my guys in order to win the game, I definitely do. They know that and I will continue to play that way because that's how we're going to win, that's how we played all year long. Just because we're in The Finals it's not going to change. I'm comfortable with the guys taking the shots that they take, creating the offense that they create and we're going to always live with what we get on offense.

Q. Two things, were there things in the second half that you saw that you think can carry over, like things that were working that you think can carry over to Sunday? And then second thing is I'm sure you addressed it already and I apologize, but we all know how much Bam and Goran want to be out there, how much does it hurt you knowing that they're hurting, that they can't help right now?

JIMMY BUTLER: Yeah, all in all I just think what we took from the second half is how hard you really have to play. I think that's the main thing. We got all the shots we wanted, got to rebound, but I think that just goes to the playing hard. Putting your nose on the ball, affecting the game in so many different ways. Yeah, we miss those guys. Obviously, what they do for us on both ends of the floor, but just as people we feel for them. This is what they have played basketball their entire lives for and for them not to be able to go out there and compete I can only, I can only understand.

Q. To kind of build on that, Erik Spoelstra said that both those guys really lobbied him hard to play today. What did you see from that lobbying? Was it in the locker room, was it in practice?

JIMMY BUTLER: Every second before the game. They want to play. They do. But coach understands that you got to take care of your guys. You don't want it to get too bad. But, yeah, we need those guys, we want those guys out there with us. But it's just bigger than basketball. We want them to have a long career and whenever they do get back in this series we want them to be ready to go.

Q. Tonight you guys gave up 56 points in the paint. From your perspective what didn't the Heat do to limit the Lakers effectiveness in the interior?

JIMMY BUTLER: We didn't rebound. They were getting all types of offensive rebounds in the paint. We didn't get back. Same thing as the first game. Eventually we're going to have to fix it because that's how we're going to win. We got to secure the ball, we got to get back and stop them from dunking and getting layups and free throws. If we do that, I think we might be all right.

Q. You played 45 minutes tonight. If coach asked could you go all 48 next game?

JIMMY BUTLER: I think so, yeah. Whatever it takes to win. You guarantee me a win with me playing 48 minutes I'll take it.

Q. You guys ended up shooting better percentage-wise from the field, got to the line twice as much as they did, do you feel like you're on the precipice of turning this around?

JIMMY BUTLER: Yup. I think so. I think that if we get more shots up, make them get a little bit off on them offensive rebounding the ball so well, I think we're in a better position. And like I said, I like what we’ve have been doing. It's just we got to play harder, we got to rebound the basketball, we got to get back, we really got to lock in to what we're supposed to be doing. If we do that, we can turn this thing around.