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Jimmy Butler # 22 of the Miami Heat is interviewed after his victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Five of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 9, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Sam Greenwood / Getty Images / AFP
To force a Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Jimmy Butler had to give everything he had.
The Miami Heat star exhausted himself to death by finishing a 35-point, triple-double masterpiece, and it still wasn’t enough to beat LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers 111-108 on Friday. Butler expects an even tougher task as the Heat will once again try to avoid elimination Sunday night in the NBA bubble near Orlando.
“I think the next game will be even tougher for us,” said Butler, who added 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double in the last three games. “But I like our opportunities.”
If it weren’t for Danny Green’s miss on an unopposed 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left Friday night, the Heat might not have this chance. The shot that would have put Los Angeles up by two crashed into the front of the rim, allowing Tyler Herro to make a pair of free throws at the other end to seal the score.
“You live with it,” said Lakers star LeBron James, who had drawn most of the defense on the play after proving to be nearly unstoppable in the minutes leading up to it. “It is one of the best shots we could have made. … Danny had an incredible look. It just didn’t go down. “
James and Butler came and went like heavyweight titans during the contest leg, combining to score 15 of 19 points in the final three minutes of the game. Butler had played most of the game, all but 48 seconds, while James finished with 40 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in 42 minutes.
“We were both trying to … lead our team to victory,” James said.
“I put it all down with my guys,” Butler said. “And that’s how we’re going to have to play from now on.”
The Heat still have hope for reinforcements in the form of Goran Dragic, who has missed the last four games of the series with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot. Miami used just seven players Friday night, with Duncan Robinson serving as Butler’s No. 2 with 26 points on seven 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, the Lakers keep their fingers crossed with big man Anthony Davis, who was obviously affected by a foot injury late in the Game 5 loss. Still, he finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds in 42 minutes.
“I’ll be fine on Sunday,” Davis said.
Los Angeles won the first two games of the best-of-seven series in addition to taking Game 4. The Lakers have yet to lose consecutive games this postseason.
Friday’s contest marked the first time the Heat had to play facing elimination in the playoffs. Only one team has come back from 3-1 to win the NBA Finals: James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
“This is the position we’re in and we like it that way,” Butler said. “And we have two more to get.”
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