7/21/2023 0 Comments Pelicans vs nuggets tickets![]() Over the past week, he’s had ample opportunity to get himself right mentally and physically. ![]() Leading up to Game 2, he’s had five days with only one game. ![]() The good news for Miami is that he’s enjoyed more rest leading up to Game 2 than he has at any point during this postseason run. His legs started looking heavy, and it didn’t appear as if he had enough juice to will his team to wins like we’ve seen from him in the past. Toward the end of the conference finals, the wear and tear of the playoffs may have started slowing Butler down. Want to find a little bit of a better balance with that.” We all love the looks we got (in Game 1), but our attacks were a little bit lower. “That symbiotic relationship between our attacks and our spacing and our shooting has to be more aligned. “Overall our attack numbers were lower, and that usually translates into lower free throw attempts,” Erik Spoelstra said of Miami’s record-low free throw attempts in Game 1. The Heat shot two free throws as a team on Thursday night, the fewest by any team in a Finals game in NBA history.īutler and his teammates need to play with force in the paint instead of allowing Jokić’s presence and the drop defense to make them hesitant. It was an issue for almost everyone on Miami’s roster in Game 1. But it indicates how much his attacks on the rim have progressively dipped. Over the last two games, Butler has two free throw attempts, which is strange for a player who averaged 9.5 free throw attempts through his first 14 playoff appearances this year. In his first 14 games of this year’s playoffs, he averaged 29.9 points and 5.6 assists on 50.5 percent. In his last four appearances, Butler is averaging just 19.8 points and 6.5 assists on 38.4 percent shooting. “Playoff Jimmy” taking over games was one of the greatest spectacles the league had to offer through the first three rounds of the postseason, but it’s been a while since that guy has made an appearance for the Heat. “Yes, they do have some really good defenders, but I have seen really good defenders before.” That’s just that, and that will change come Game 2,” Butler said after Saturday’s practice. “I just think I’ve got to do a better job of getting the ball, demanding the ball, being more aggressive. While he does take pride in “playing the game the right way,” his inability to seize control like he has throughout the postseason played a big part in Miami’s 104-93 loss in Game 1.īutler had just 13 points and seven assists on 6-of-14 shooting on Thursday, and Miami’s leader knows he has to impose his will much more than that if the Heat are going to make this a series. Too many times, he looked uncertain about getting his own or keeping his teammates involved. Instead, Butler was often hesitant as he felt his way through the defense. For a player of Butler’s caliber, the space he was given on pick-and-rolls like the two clips above should’ve looked to him like a red carpet to the rim. ![]()
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