Coming into Game 1 of the NBA Finals, everyone knew the Heat were going to be underdogs. Even the Heat themselves would probably acknowledge the fact that the Lakers are heading into the series with every advantage in the world. Well, just a few minutes into Game 1, it seemed like the Heat had a real shot as they were up by 13 points. Of course, this all came crashing down as the Lakers went on a devastating 75-30 run to take a commanding lead.
In addition to the Heat's woes, Jimmy Butler suffered a leg injury, while Bam Adebayo hurt his shoulder, and Goran Dragic injured his foot in what could be a series-ending injury. Despite all of these unfortunate events, Butler doesn't want to harp on them. As he told Rachel Nichols of ESPN, the Lakers are a great team and the Heat need to play well in order to defeat them. For Butler, the team can definitely do better, regardless of any injuries.
“We’ve talked about how damn near perfect we have to play. And that was nowhere near it," Butler stated.
Now, the Heat will get to redeem themselves in Game 2, where they will look to tie the series up at one game apiece. For now, however, it seems like the Lakers are in complete control.