"All about getting a bucket" - Jimmy Butler explains how he takes his game to the next level in the fourth quarter
Jimmy Butler has been playing at a superstar level for the Miami Heat throughout the 2023 NBA playoffs. This was evident once again in Game 2 of the Heat’s Eastern Conference finals series against the Boston Celtics.
Butler finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks on 48.0% shooting. He also took his game to the next level in the fourth quarter and scored nine fourth-quarter points to help the Heat overcome a double-digit deficit to win 111-105.
Following the game, Butler was asked about his fourth-quarter mindset. The Heat superstar said that his goal in fourth quarters is always to find a way to score.
“I was trying to play the right way the entire game and I feel like in the fourth, it was all about getting a bucket,” Butler said.
“Whether you’re taking a contested shot, a wide-open shot, it’s all about getting shots.”
Butler added that his teammates and coaches empower him to play confidently and freely.
“I can only tell y’all so many times how much confidence that my teammates put in me, the coaching staff puts in me to just go out there and hoop, play care-free, and as we like to say in our locker room, 'Take us there,'” he said.
"In the 4th it's all about getting a bucket."
Jimmy Butler on playing carefree thanks to the confidence his teammates and coaches have in him to perform in big moments.
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Butler is averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game on 51.8% shooting through 12 playoff games.
Jimmy Butler on his fourth-quarter altercation with Grant Williams in Game 2
During his Game 2 postgame interview, Jimmy Butler was also asked whether his fourth-quarter altercation with Celtics reserve wing Grant Williams fueled him. Butler said that it did as he loves competition.
“Yes, it did. But that's just competition at its finest,” the Heat star said.
“He hit a big shot, started talking to me. I like that. I'm all for that. It makes me key in a lot more and it pushes that will that I have to win a lot more and it makes me smile. It does.
“When people talk to me, I'm like, 'OK, I know I'm a decent player if you want to talk to me out of everybody that you can talk to.'
“But I don't know, it's just competition. I do respect him though. He's a big part of what they try to do. He switches, he can shoot the ball. I just don't know if I'm the best person to talk to.”
The Boston Celtics were up 96-89 with 6:22 remaining in the game at the time of Butler and Williams’ altercation. The Miami Heat then finished the game on a 22-9 run to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Also read: "That's the winning formula" - Heat's Jimmy Butler seemingly predicted the NBA winning formula with Caleb Martin in 2022