"Still don't give a damn" - Jimmy Butler speaks out on narratives surrounding the Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler has been unapologetically himself for just about the entirety of his NBA career. The scrappy six-time All-Star has played his best basketball in the postseason and has lived to be the player who makes the big-time plays.
Butler's no-nonsense mentality and blunt way of talking have also rubbed players the wrong way during his time in the league. This is a major reason why he spent just half a season with the Philadelphia 76ers and forced a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves after just one year.
Butler, however, has no regrets about the way he goes about his business and no plans to change it moving forward. With few expectations surrounding him and the rest of the Heat team, Butler remains as confident as ever about Miami's outlook saying that he "Still don't give a damn."
“Ain’t nobody picked us last year. Who cares? Nobody is picking us this year. Still don’t give a damn.”
- Jimmy Butler
(Via @5ReasonsSports ) https://t.co/RGnwezjyAH
Miami Heat's playoff outlook
It has been an uneasy season for the Miami Heat. They finished the year with a 44-28 record, ending in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. So, they will face the Atlanta Hawks in the opening play-in tournament matchup with the hopes of securing a first-round matchup with the Boston Celtics. If the Heat lose this matchup, they will play for a chance to face the Milwaukee Bucks.
Miami is favored by five points and widely expected to find its way out of the play-in tournament with -750 odds. The Heat have the 13th-best odds across both conferences to win the NBA Finals and the sixth-best odds to win the Eastern Conference at +6000.
Jimmy Butler has become known as a playoff player and has made a living performing on the biggest stage. Just last season, the Heat made it to the Eastern Conference finals before losing in seven games at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
During that playoff run, Butler averaged 27.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He also shot 50.6%, which is the greatest rate he had previously shot in any regular season or playoffs.
The Heat are playing their best basketball of late, going 4-1 in their final five games and shooting the best 3-point percentage in the NBA in that span. They will need to continue raising their level of play to have success on this stage, but Jimmy Butler and the Heat surely will not be afraid of any matchups.