For the first time this postseason, the Heat are dealing with some adversity.
Miami fell to Boston, 110-97, on Thursday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It marks the first time in this year's playoffs they have lost back-to-back games, and it was their second straight missed opportunity to clinch a spot in the 2023 NBA Finals.
The series will now shift back to South Beach, where they'll have another golden opportunity to close out the Celtics with a win at home. But if they were to lose Game 6 on Saturday night, it would put them on the brink of a disastrous collapse after holding a 3-0 lead just days ago.
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Despite all the chatter of a Boston comeback, Heat star Jimmy Butler is still supremely confident.
"We've just got to play better, start the games off better on the starters and make it more difficult for them," he said after Game 5. "They were in a rhythm since the beginning of the game. But we're always going to stay positive knowing that we can and we will win this series. We'll just have to close it out at home."
"We can and we will win this series."
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 26, 2023
Jimmy Butler still has confidence that the Heat will close out the series 👀 pic.twitter.com/QpZzYzL8G3
Game 5 was one of Butler's worst performances of this year's playoffs. He entered the contest averaging 29.9 points per game, but finished with just 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. He also posted a game-worst rating of minus-24.
But that hasn't stopped him from being sure of a win on Saturday night.
"It's going to be all smiles," he said of the team's mindset. "We're going to keep it very, very, very consistent, knowing that we are going to win the next game."
Jimmy Butler: "We are going to win the next game" pic.twitter.com/LBiZrpS4bK
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 26, 2023
Heat fans will be dearly hoping he's right.
Game 6 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, May 27 on TNT.
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