NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

May 29, 2022

Jimmy Butler

Kyle Lowry

Miami Heat

Game 7: Postgame

Celtics 100, Miami Heat 96

Q. Can you take us through that final sequence, transition, Marcus misses, you get the rebound, come down in transition, thought process on that shot at that time, please.

JIMMY BUTLER: My thought process was go for the win, which I did. Missed a shot. But I'm taking that shot. My teammates liked the shot that I took. So I'm living with it.

Q. You played every second of the game. Did you know you were going to do that and what was your mentality going into Game 7?

JIMMY BUTLER: No, I didn't know, but I feel like with every second I did play, I should have done more, could've done better to turn this into a win. Nothing you can do about it now, but I just really, really, really appreciate the guys that I get to go to battle with and I'm grateful for those guys.

Q. Spo said many times that there won't be any excuses offered, but how frustrating is it that so many of you guys were dealing with injuries toward the end?

JIMMY BUTLER: Very frustrating. We want to win just like everybody else. Everything we put into this game day in and day out is toward winning. That's the only thing we care about here in the Miami Heat organization. But I like it because we can learn from it. I can learn from it as much as anybody else. In my book, I just think I can't have bad games. I played like trash in a couple. I think that was the series.

Q. Kyle, I know, like Jimmy, never any excuses, but now that it's over, are you able to share how limited you were from the hamstring when you did play the last couple of weeks?

KYLE LOWRY: I was out there. I was out there playing. That's all that really mattered. At the end of the day, we don't make excuses. You know, we tip our hats to the Boston Celtics. Congratulations, Eastern Conference champions. They beat us.

You know, for ourselves, it is what it is. We go back to the drawing board and back to the bottom of the totem pole like everybody else besides two teams right now.

Q. How would you sum up the series that you just had?

JIMMY BUTLER: Not good enough. I didn't do my job. Stats don't mean anything, as I say over and over again. The Boston Celtics did what they came out here to do in this series. I learned that I have to be better, and I will be better.

Get back to the lab and have an opportunity to work out with these guys over the summer, and we'll come back better than ever.

Q. As you look forward, what do you think you guys need to cross the threshold?

JIMMY BUTLER: Figure out a way to be consistent. I think we had enough -- I think we do have enough. It sucks because you don't know who is going to be on roster any given year, you know what I'm saying. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to play with the guys that I did have to play with. It's been like that every year in the league.

We had enough. Next year, we will have enough and we're going to be right back in the same situation, and we're going to get it done.

Q. What did Bam show you in this game and this series?

JIMMY BUTLER: What he's capable of when he has the opportunity to be that guy. I've said it all year long, he's the engine that makes us run on both ends of the floor. He does so many things well. I'm very grateful to be able to play with an individual like him, along with so many other people on the roster. I think the more comfortable that Bam gets, that he knows that he's a star in this league, you can't put a cap and a ceiling on his talent and his abilities. As long as he's comfortable, he's going to be hell whenever he's out there on the floor.

Q. Kyle, you worked all regular season and shaped your season to get ready for this. It has to be frustrating for that to happen and for your injury to come when it did. Can you take us inside your emotions, being frustrated, given the whole season and getting hurt early in the first round?

KYLE LOWRY: It's been a wild season for me individually. My personal life has been a little bit different for me this year.

But I'm given an opportunity to play basketball, and any time I get a chance to play, I'm really happy to do it. I will never make an excuse about injuries, never. I was out there. Jimmy was hurt. Tyler was hurt. Tuck was hurt. They had guys hurt. I wish I would have been able to play a little bit better, at a higher level, but I didn't. It just adds fuel. You don't know how many more opportunities you will have to get back to this, so for me, honestly it was a waste of a year. I only play to win championships. It was fun, and I appreciate the guys, my teammates, and I appreciate the opportunity. But for me, it's a waste of a year. You're not playing for a championship -- you're not winning a championship, it's a wasted year.

Q. Just to follow, going into your second season, now that you kind of know what to expect with everything here, how much do you think that will help you hit the ground running next season now that it's not all new to you like it was this year?

KYLE LOWRY: I think it helps. I think everything helps, having some continuity with the team and understanding who you're going to be there with and tendencies and understand the offense, terminologies, defensive schemes, offensive schemes, emotions, personalities. It definitely helps. We look forward to the opportunity of getting better over the summer and getting back to this opportunity next year.

Q. I know how much respect you have for Tatum. What sets his game apart right now?

JIMMY BUTLER: He does everything: shoot the ball, play in the pick-and-roll, he passes the ball incredibly well, gets out in transition. He's a superstar, and he deserved that. They deserve the win. I wish them the best moving forward. He's one hell of a player, that's for damn sure.