NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

June 1, 2023

Jimmy Butler

Gabe Vincent

Miami Heat

Game 1: Postgame

Denver Nuggets 104, Miami Heat 93

Q. Physically tonight, especially coming from Game 7 in Boston, flying straight here, the altitude, how did it all feel for you on the court tonight?

JIMMY BUTLER: Felt great. I think everybody felt great. Missed some shots, didn't get back a little bit, but overall I feel like everybody's wind was good. Everybody was moving well. We just lost the game.

Q. Did it feel like it took a while to get used to Denver's offense, the unique way they generate shots around the rim, especially in the paint early on?

GABE VINCENT: I mean, they are a physical group. I think we had to adjust to their physicality early, especially myself. They had a couple lay-ups on me early that we had to adjust to. But, you know, it's a long series, first to four wins, adjustments will be made, and we'll learn from this loss.

Q. Gabe, you got kicked in the head there. Wondering how you're doing after that. And then when teams play the Nuggets in the playoffs, when they see them for the first time, they remark how much force they play with, and so I'm just wondering what you thought of the Nuggets through one game.

GABE VINCENT: I mean, I've got a lot of hair on my head so my head is doing all right, thankfully.

But they are a good team. They are well-coached. They are talented. It's going to be a challenge. It's the Finals. We don't expect it any other way. We are looking forward to Game 2.

JIMMY BUTLER: I definitely think they came out with a lot of physicality, and we have to be able to match that. They did their job on their home floor, you have to say that, but we will be ready. Like he said, we will adjust, and we will do some things very differently and come out here and be ready to give more for Game 2.

Q. Why do you think the offense struggled so much to find its rhythm throughout the night?

JIMMY BUTLER: Probably because we shot a lot of jumpshots, myself probably leading that pack, instead of putting pressure on the rim, getting lay-ups, getting to the free throw line. When you look at it during the game, they all look like the right shots.

And I'm not saying that we can't as a team make those, but got to get more layups, got to get more free throws. And whenever you miss and don't get back, the game gets out of hand kind of quickly. We gave up too many lay-ups which we also can't have happen.

But that's it as a whole. We've got to attack the rim a lot more, myself included.

Q. It felt like Bam was involved in the offense even more than in previous series. Is there things that you guys were able to do as this game went on to just play off him more than you guys were doing earlier?

GABE VINCENT: I think we are always trying to find Bam, and the way they guard, he tended to be open with some of our sets a bit, and he made some good reads tonight, and he made some shots.

He's aggressive. We're going to need him to continue to be aggressive and continue to attack and continue to make the right reads for us.

JIMMY BUTLER: I agree. When Bam is making shots, I think he makes everybody's job a lot easier. We want him to continually be aggressive, and he was making, you know, the right passes when he couldn't get a bucket, as well, and those shots will fall for everybody.

Next game, stay with it and keep playing that style of basketball. But in the end, if we guard better, not give up so many layups, get back, I think the game is a little bit different.

Q. Curious, Haywood Highsmith seemed like he was a bright spot for you guys tonight. What did you see out of his game, and what has he done to earn more and more playing time?

JIMMY BUTLER: He's comfortable and confident. He shoots the ball very well. He cuts to the rim. He guards. He does anything and everything that you ask him to do.

Tonight he spaced the floor incredibly well. He had some timely cuts, some stops, some hustle plays. And that's what made his mark in this league for him, and he's continuing to do it, even in the Finals.

Q. Jokic had an efficient night and also had the 14 assists, so he got to both parts of his game. How do you think you guys did in this first attempt with him, and what are you going to adjust with his unique style of play?

GABE VINCENT: I mean, he's talented. He's an MVP. He's going to make plays. He's going to be great at times. We just have to continue to make it difficult, be physical with him when we can, like we mentioned, take away the layups and try to take away these cuts and attack him on offense.

Q. With the way they move off the ball, how difficult is it just to prevent some of those switches that lead to some of those Aaron Gordon post-ups or Michael Porter Jr. shots at the rim, and how much is that going to be a focus in Game 2, not allowing them to create some of those switches?

JIMMY BUTLER: I think it was a focus in Game 1. Obviously it will be a focus in Game 2 as well. We've just got to be better and put body on body and make sure that we're challenging everything at the rim, not giving up back-cuts and slips for open threes.

I think whenever we watch this film, it's going to look way worse than it really is, but that's the only way you're going to learn from it.

Q. Jimmy, you play an all-around game, and you have been for a while. How do you balance feeling your way through a game versus putting your head down, attacking and not playing off what they give you but making stuff happen yourself?

JIMMY BUTLER: I think I've done well in that area. I'm always going to pass the ball to my teammates. I have so much belief and faith in them that they are going to take and make shots, and if they can't, then they are going to make the next play.

That's how we have been playing all year long. That's not going to change now that we are in the Finals. Maybe I have to be a little bit more aggressive. I've got to put pressure on the rim. Me with no free throws, that was all on myself, nobody else.

So we'll definitely correct that the next game, but only I can do that.

Q. Jamal got off to a really hot start and was able to get to both his pull-up game and his facilitating game. What kind of challenges does he present when you try to lock up one-on-one? And Jimmy, I know you went after him a few times one-on-one and tried to get that switch. Is that a way you can get into his legs a little more in Game 2?

GABE VINCENT: Jamal is a talented player. He can score in a number of ways. I think one of the things that makes him difficult to guard is when he gets off the ball, and then you have to deal with the cuts and he's circling back.

And they know; they are looking for him. So when he's off the ball, you already know the ball is going to end up in his hands at some point. He's a dynamic scorer. He poses threats in different ways and he's relentless.

It will be a tall task, and we'll continue to work at it.

JIMMY BUTLER: For me, yeah, you've got to attack and attack everybody, not just one individual. I have to do a better job of creating the help, one, two guys, and getting to my shooter, otherwise finishing at the rim, making shots.

But we missed a lot tonight and we'll be better in Game 2. At the end of the day, that's what it is, and we'll take this and we'll learn from it, and we'll be back in two days.