NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT VS. CELTICS

May 17, 2023

Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat

Game 1: Postgame

Miami Heat 123, Boston Celtics 116

Q. This is three straight series of starting on the road and starting with an opening victory on the road to reclaim home-court advantage. Is there a similarity to the three, and what does it say about this team that you come into the other team's house and take away home-court advantage right away?

JIMMY BUTLER: We are just playing really good basketball. More than anything, we are staying together through the good and through the bad. It is a game of runs. We can talk to one another. I think that's what ultimately makes me smile is the fact when things are not going our way, we can look at each other eye to eye and know when somebody is messing around, and we can fix it.

I feel like we did a really good job on the defensive end and we shared the ball on the offense. Made some shots. Got a win. But that's not enough for us. We want to get another one in two days.

Q. Through the years, you've always taken so much pride in how much work you've poured into your game but you never want to put a limit on how high you can go. In your opinion, though, given the consistency of where you are right now, do you think this is the highest level your game has been at to date?

JIMMY BUTLER: I don't think so. I really feel as though with anything in life, if you get the opportunity and you have the belief that my teammates, my coaches, Coach Pat, ownership have in me to kind of lead the charge, along with Bam right now, anything is possible.

I'm playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so. They are not putting a limit on my game. They are trusting me with the ball, on the defensive end. I think that's what any basketball player wants. That's what anybody wants out of life is just to be wanted, be appreciated and just let you go out there and rock.

Q. Marcus Smart had 10 assists in the first half. As well as he was playing, were you surprised not to see him as much in the second half?

JIMMY BUTLER: No, I think he played well all game long. He was making all the right plays and they made a lot of shots. He defended incredibly well. Made shots, too. I think they will watch film and see that they probably have to utilize him more. I would.

I've got a lot of respect for that guy and what he does on the defensive side of the ball and for sure what he does on the offensive side of the ball, because he plays his role to the T. We are going to have to lock in on that. Ten in a half is some pretty good basketball.

Q. Tatum had a pretty big game in Game 7. What are some of the little things you guys tried to do to throw him off his game, make him uncomfortable?

JIMMY BUTLER: Challenge all shots. We tried to keep him off the free-throw line. He shot 11 of those. We reached a little bit too much. But that's what MVP-caliber players do. They do everything incredibly well. He made shots. He got to the free-throw line. Hit the three, mid-post, transition, all of that.

We will be better next game. He may make shots. You can't get down on that. You have to know that we play defense the right way, and we are going to keep doing that.

Q. What does it feel like for your confidence when you see them start to crack a little in the third quarter, and you hear their fans start to boo? What does it do for you guys to hear that and feel that going forward?

JIMMY BUTLER: Absolutely nothing, honestly. We are a confident group. Whether we are up 10, down 10, we're not too worried about the opposing team.

I think whenever you do that, you get lost in what got you where. And we were so worried about us all year long and how we can be the best version of ourselves, that if we are up 10, down 10, we still need to play our style of basketball, we still need to be together, share the ball, get stops. Booing, no booing, we've got to worry about the Miami Heat.

Q. When you are going like you were tonight, scoring and on defense with the steals, how does one side of the floor impact the other? How do they cooperate for you?

JIMMY BUTLER: I would like to think that I just play hard. I try to make the right plays on the offensive side of the ball. But other than that, I shot a couple bad ones.

Like I said, my teammates, my coaches, they allowed me to do that. On the defensive side of the ball, it's a lot of energy, but I'm not the only one that's doing it. I feed off my teammates -- diving on the floor, taking charges, getting back on defense -- just like they feed off my energy on the defensive end. It just so happened that I happened to get my hand on the basketball and get some steals.

But as long as you play hard, I really believe that really good things happen the majority of the time.

Q. I would imagine that you don't feel like an 8 seed, you and the Heat. This doesn't feel like you're climbing mountains and knocking off favorites and all kinds of things.

JIMMY BUTLER: That's a question?

Q. It's the start of a question.

JIMMY BUTLER: Okay. What's the question?

Q. The question is, how does this feel to you guys, what you have done so far? And if you go back all the way to that night against Chicago and the Play-In, did you think then that something like this would be possible?

JIMMY BUTLER: Damn right I did. Damn right we did. And the best part about it is we still don't care what none of y'all think, honestly speaking. We don't care if you pick us to win. We never have. We never will. We know the group of guys we have in this locker room. We know that Coach Spo puts so much confidence and belief in each and every one of us. Coach Pat as well.

So our circle is small, but the circle got so much love for one another. We pump constant confidence into everybody. We go out there and we hoop and we play basketball the right way, knowing that we've always got a chance.