Last season, the Miami Heat were able to surprise NBA fans by finishing first in the Eastern Conference. Led by Jimmy Butler, the Heat were an incredible overall team, and it was clear that they had a real shot at winning the NBA title. In the end, they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the East Finals.
Coming into this season, fans figured they would be able to finish in a similar spot. After all, the roster is very close to last season's, and one would figure that Butler is hungry to bring this team back up to the top of the standings.
Unfortunately, that has simply not been the case in the early going. Point guard Kyle Lowry has very clearly lost his step, and the rest of the team just hasn't been able to overcome some bad shooting and team defense. Fans are actually very surprised by this development and with the team at 2-5, they need to work themselves out of a hole.
As one can imagine, the team now has to look for leadership from the likes of Butler. Butler is the most vocal person in the locker room, and he has been known to call out his teammates who aren't playing well enough. Not to mention, when asked questions by the media, he is always raw and real. That said, one can probably guess how Butler feels right now.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Butler does not seem to care about the poor start. In fact, Butler is so confident in his teammates that he believes they have the championship wrapped up. Slow starts will simply be a blip on the radar as the Heat progress this season. At least that's what Butler hopes to be the case.
“We’re still going to win the championship, and I don’t care what nobody says. Count us out. We’re going to win the f*cking championship. I’m telling you. I don’t give a damn that we started 2-5.”
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