Jimmy Butler Says He Needs to Do Better After Game 1 Loss
The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks fought down to the wire in Game 1 of their seven-game series on Saturday, kicking off the 2021 NBA playoffs in an exciting fashion. Third-seeded Bucks ran out winners in overtime, 109-107, thanks to a game-winning jumper from Khris Middleton with less than a second remaining on the clock. On the offensive end in game 1, the Bucks’ trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday led the way, scoring 73 of the team’s 109 points. On the other side, Duncan Robinson and Goran Dragic led the Heat’s offense, while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo suffered mightily on the court.
Despite finishing two assists short of a triple-double (17 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists), Jimmy Butler put on a poor show for the Heat in their game one loss at the hands of Bucks. However, he did have a moment of magic as he drew the game with his layup to force overtime. Jimmy Butler’s poor shooting and struggle were more due to missing shots than Milwaukee’s tight defence. Butler missed a few wide-open shots, clear-cut chances and ended the night 4 of 22 from the floor, including 2 of 9 from beyond the arc. He hit a big shot to give the Heat new life and force overtime, but he scored zero points on six shots in the extra period.
“I’m taking what they’re giving me. I may shoot nine (three-pointers) next game as well. They’ll fall,” said Butler. “Touch was a little bit off. I’m cool. I think we all can live with that. I just got to be better as a whole myself.”
Jimmy Butler was asked about him and Bam Adebayo combining for 8 of 37, which is unfathomable. He replied:
“Touch was a little bit off. I’m cool. I think we all can live with that. I just got to be better as a whole myself. You miss shots. You got days like that. That’s OK. The whole thing is you got to bounce back, figure out ways to be better. Not just on offense, but on defense as well. Like I said, I’m taking the shots I missed. He (Bam Adebayo) is taking the shots he missed. We’ll continue to take the same ones until they fall.”
The most important thing Miami can count on in their game two clashes against Milwaukee Bucks is that Jimmy Butler won’t replicate his results. In terms of Adebayo, taking advantage of Milwaukee’s bigs and discovering ways to get him the ball in space would be crucial in Game 2. The duo had an off game, and the Heat would like to digest this as a one-off game. On the plus hand, it’ll be the duo’s weakest showing of the series, but it’s not perfect because none of them can get moving offensively in the same contest. The Heats travel to Milwaukee for their 2nd game of the NBA playoff series and hope for a better game at the Fiserv Forum Arena.
