CHICAGO - All spunk. With a side of nasty.
The Jimmy Butler Show highlighted Game 3 of the NBA Finals today at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida where a spooked, bedazzled Lakers occupied front row seats.
Miami 115, Los Angeles 104.
The 31-year old Butler had an NBA Finals performance for the ages, posting 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists to shove Miami away from the peril of an 0-3 deficit that no team in NBA history has ever survived.
Butler attacked the Lakers like Napoleon in the battle of Austerlitz. He didn't mine for the fools' gold that is the 3-point shot, he instead chose to ransack the perimeter for 14 made field goals on 20 attempts.
And he didn't just drive by the Lakers defense, he relentlessly drove right through it and converted 12 free throws out of 14 tries.
On this night at least, those Lakers couldn't guard Jimmy; they could only foul him.
"What else can I say? He's Jimmy effing Butler," coach Erick Speolstra told The Miami Herald while attempting to sanitize the blend of joy and relief that must have been roiling inside him.
And just like that. With one flip of a switch that turned on one epic performance, the Heat are back in business. Given up for dead, they have gloriously risen back like it's Eastern Sunday.
FROM DOWN 0-2 TO OH MY GOD.
It wasn't easy though. It never is when LeBron James is on the other side.
After trailing by as many as 14 points, the Lakers sparked an 8-0 run to sequester the lead, 91-89, at the 8:56 mark of the fourth quarter.
At that point, it seemed like a purple-and-gold tidal wave was rushing and Miami's levy was breaking. But Butler wouldn't let his teammates drown and the Heat answered with an 8-0 blast that restored order and preserved Game 3.
"We just had a little hiccup tonight," Lakers forward Markieff Morris told The Los Angeles Times.
Hiccup?
No sir, that's like calling the Pope a priest. This was a case of a team choking on overconfidence and playing loosely, carelessly.
The Lakers got lost in the wilderness of 20 turnovers with LeBron and Anthony Davis racking up 13 between them.
Danny Green and Kentavious Caldewell-Pope combined for just 1-of-11 from the field, including 1-for-7 from deep. They should be arrested immediately for indiscriminate firing.
And Rajon Rondo, the Game 2 wild card who aced with 16 points, returned to his old, sluggish self in Game 3 where he turned in just four points in 28 disparaging minutes.
Without it's two starters, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic, the Heat are missing a combined 37.8 points, 14.9 points, 9.2 assists and 2.1 steals worth of production per game.
In a series that was already a David versus Goliath in favor of L.A., the Lakers also got the slingshot when Miami's key players went down.
How can an infinitely gifted, more talented roster succumb to a weakened, wounded foe?
The lethargic start, the lack of ball security, the softened defense, and failure to cool off a feverish Butler has to fall on the coaching staff.
Hello, Frank Vogel. Brad Stevens and his Celtics have left the bubble, he may take your call if you ever want some tips.
Look, I don't have any illusions of grandeur here. As much as I love Spo and his crew, the Lakers are still going to win this championship.
But the disrespect LeBron and two other stiffs showed to the game and their opponents by storming off the court in the final 10 seconds without properly being subbed makes me really want to root for basketball karma to bite those arrogant Lakers in the ass.
Thank God for Jimmy, we now have a series not a sweep.
And Miami ain't just fighting. They now have a fighting chance.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
