Sean Gardner/Getty Images
DENVER — As the calendar turns to March, those close to Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler say he has begun the process of strengthening his body and mindset to welcome Jimmy back to the playoffs .
When he operates in his dominant two-way alter ego that gives adjustments to opposing defenses, it’s a forceful manipulation that few players can duplicate.
How do you turn on a switch like that?
“You mean, how can I suddenly become the greatest basketball player in the world?” Butler told Bleacher Report. “I don’t know, man.”
In their first meeting since losing to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals, the Heat came up short Thursday night in a 103-97 loss.
Immediately after the game in the Heat locker room, Butler produced a sight and sound most wouldn’t expect after a nail-biting loss to the team responsible for ending its 2022-23 season on a sour note.
Butler, who recorded 21 points and seven rebounds in 40 minutes, sat at his locker consuming his postgame meal with his cell phone connected to a speaker singing slow jams.
The star forward sang songs “Small Talk” and “Poet” by Neo Soul singer Malia. His eyes were closed as if he truly felt every word.
His teammates just continued to dress like it was a normal event.
With 23 games remaining, the Heat sit eighth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 33-26 record. Slowing down the music is apparently a way to speed up Butler’s approach to a stretching run.
“I’m just different,” Butler told B/R, followed by a chuckle. “I think that’s when you’re supposed to play your best basketball and you have to find a way to get your team to win these games when you’re talking about the playoffs coming up. But even in This moment, you’re putting everyone in their role. You’re getting into a rhythm. And with my music, I’m in my rhythm. Speaking for myself and for everyone else in this locker room, we want to win. It’s our objective. “
Butler has embraced his alter ego, but he insists he’s only doing what stars are supposed to do in big games.
“You just keep a few things in your pocket throughout the year, and every time you do it at a certain time of the year, they consider it something else like ‘Playoff Jimmy,'” explained Butler. “But it’s just me playing the long game throughout the season. I know I’m really good at this game, and I know I could do a lot of things well on the basketball court. There’s just moments when you have to take a step “You have to take it up a notch. You can’t show everything to the opponent now. You always have to keep people guessing. “
The goal for most championship-contending teams is to enter the playoffs healthy. Surprisingly, that’s not the Heat’s top priority.
“No, it’s not even about going into the playoffs healthy, it’s about getting all of your competition together to take on that challenge,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told B/R. “You can’t control who’s available. It’s more of a mentality.
“It’s the hardest thing you try to do collectively as a group, is win a championship. There are so many things that come into play emotionally, physically, spiritually, and then there has to be connectivity with all of this to be able to accomplish it.”.
Spoelstra and the players admit the Finals loss to Denver still sticks with them.
“It’s tough. There’s no doubt about it,” Spoelstra said. “There’s no consolation in getting this far and failing. But it happened, and you have to take responsibility for that and also give credit to Denver. They were fantastic in this series, and they deserved it throughout it.
“Sometimes pain can be the driving force for the greatest collective growth in this profession. Sometimes winning can be the worst teacher, and sometimes losing, unfortunately, can be the best teacher. And that pain can sometimes motivate and drive you to a necessary level. The only thing we all we have achieved is that we needed it and we need to reach a higher level to be able to complete the work.
“You can’t really put a timetable on getting over a Finals loss because there are times when you’re just eating and you might see a basketball and you’ll just start thinking about it,” Bam said Adebayo to B/R. “So we can’t really set a timetable.
“I feel like it’s easier when you get lost in the season because then you worry about so many other things. And then once the game is over, you have almost a full month to do nothing. So all you do is think about “The fact that we lost and they won. Obviously you see all the celebrations and everything that’s going on. All you can do is nod and tip your cap because they won, but we want one for ourselves too. “
Regardless of ranking, the Heat pose a serious threat to any Eastern Conference challenger if they clinch a playoff spot.
After going 5-1 during a rigorous six-game road trip, the Heat believe they have found a rhythm that can carry over into the final quarter of the season.
And this is the most opportune time to find that breakthrough since this is usually the time when Butler finds his.
“Whatever you want to call it, ‘Playoff Jimmy’ or ‘that crazy mom – ker Emo Jimmy,’ I don’t care,” Butler told B/R. “We’re good, man. I just want to make the playoffs. That’s it. We’re getting into the playoffs, and then we and I can take care of a lot of things. But I think we, as a group, We’re going to be fine.”
