NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

May 31, 2023

Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat

Media Day

Q. What is the key to slowing Jokic?

JIMMY BUTLER: Guarding him as a team with all five guys. He does everything so well, and we're going to have to be in the gaps, we're going to have to gang rebound. We can't have defensive lapses. We're just going to have to get after it. I think at the end of the day, he's a major key, as DJ Khaled would say, and we're going to have to lock in.

Q. You've talked many times about the belief that you have in the room and everybody has together. Why aren't you guys a little surprised at what you've been able to accomplish in this run?

JIMMY BUTLER: Because we do it every single day, and we know what we're capable of. The outside individuals don't get the opportunity to see that, and I wish that y'all did because then you would see that the guys that we have on this team, on this roster, can really play some high-level basketball, and we're going to stay confident because, like I said, we're in the grind every single day.

Guys have been out of the lineup all year long, guys step up, fill in, and do their job. We're never going to be surprised.

Q. Last year here there was an incident between the Heat and the Nuggets, and you guys were so upset that you were in the hallway. What I'm asking is, are there any hard feelings that linger from that night, and do you think they could spill out in this series?

JIMMY BUTLER: I don't think so. I think there's a lot of, like, stuff about the whole situation that people don't understand, and I'll let that stay back there. But I don't think it has too much to do with anything, this thing in the past. It's high-level competition. But I will say I wasn't talking to Jokic. That wasn't my beef. Make sure you write that.

The individual who I was talking to definitely knew who I was talking to.

Q. Obviously you're the head of the snake; through all of the adversity that you guys have faced this season, how have you personally taken it on as a responsibility to get the team to believe through all of it?

JIMMY BUTLER: I'm just -- I would like to say that I'm never rattled. I'm very calm. I'm very consistent in everything that I do, whether it's before the game, after the game, during the game, and I think when my guys look at me like that, they follow suit in every single way.

I love that about them because they're never shook. No matter what. We could be down, people can think that we're out, and all of a sudden we're right back in this thing and it's because we do the same thing every day. We love being around each other. We want to see each other succeed. We really do enjoy when each other play well, and we're going to continue to do that, never going to get rattled, and we're going to see where we end up.

Q. When did you realize you could be this kind of leader, at what age, and is there anyone who helped you develop this kind of confidence and leadership that we've seen the last couple series?

JIMMY BUTLER: So many of my former teammates have shaped me into this, quote-unquote, leader that you think that you see in front of you today. Not perfect or anywhere near it in any way, but I'm me. My style of "leadership" works here.

But more than anything, I've got to give a shout-out to D-Wade because he had always told me about the culture here and how it fits who I am, what I'm about and how I go about things. You see it everywhere; it really is a match made in heaven. I love it here, and I hope to be here.

Q. Nikola was up here saying there's not a player in this Finals who didn't have those moments growing up of three, two, one, and scoring the winning basket to win a title. What was yours? Was it a blacktop, driveway, who were you pretending to be?

JIMMY BUTLER: None of that. I was never that good at basketball growing up anyways, so me being in the NBA was so far out that I didn't think I would make it this far. I'm glad that I am here and I have the opportunity to do that.

Maybe I'll hit a game winner like D-Wade. I think that would be really good. I'm not standing on no tables, but it would be really good to be D-Wade for a day.

Q. Was there an NBA Finals that you remember from growing up that had an effect on you?

JIMMY BUTLER: No, we didn't have cable.

Q. Going off the board a little, I'm not sure how many people know how much time you've spent in Denver especially at Broncos games. Can you share a little bit about your relationship with Demaryius Thomas and how bittersweet that he's not going to be here cheering for you and cheering for the Nuggets a little too?

JIMMY BUTLER: That's my guy, my brother forever. I miss him so much. I used to spend so much time here with him, watching him be great. He motivated me because his story is really, really incredible. Through everything that he's been through, to make it and do what he did for the Broncos. I actually have a lot of love for this city.

Like I said, I miss that guy. I wish he was here to sit courtside and watch me do my thing because we talked about this all the time, maybe not Denver versus my team, but just being able to watch me win a championship like he did.

Q. Talking about another friend of yours, we just got a message from Neymar right now saying that he's following the Playoffs, he's supporting you and the Heat. How is it for you to receive a kind of support like this right now, and are you going to invite Neymar to the Finals in Miami?

JIMMY BUTLER: Yes, he'd better be there. So Ney, I know you're looking somewhere. You'd better be there. But that's my guy, too.

Part of my routine on game days and off days is I watch all types of sports of people who inspire me to be great. He's one of them. So, I've probably seen each one of his highlight videos on YouTube way too many times, Sasha [Alexander Zverev] tennis, Carlito [Carlos Alcaraz] tennis, you go down -- Serena, everybody. I love greatness in any way that you view it.

He's obviously a close friend of mine, so I pay attention to him a lot. But with him in my corner, I think I'll be okay.

Q. You've talked about how you spent a lot of time here in Denver. Have you felt the altitude before? Does it impact you? And do you do anything to adapt?

JIMMY BUTLER: No, I just be drinking some water, listen to some music. I think that's the formula, you've just got to listen to music, drink water, drink wine, play Spades and dominos.

Q. What are you going to listen to before Game 1?

JIMMY BUTLER: Before Game 1, probably Dermot Kennedy honestly. He be having me grooving. Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Lauryn Hill, Kirk Franklin. You never know. But it's going to be something. Spice Girls. [Laughter].

Q. How is your ankle? You injured it against the Knicks and you tweaked it a little bit in Game 7. Are you 100 percent? Are you close to 100 percent? Is that a look that tells me you're going to lie right now?

JIMMY BUTLER: No, I'm not going to lie. I'm going to say nobody cares. You don't, either. I'm still expected to do my job at a high level if I take the floor, which I will.

We're going to be okay. We're going to get the job done, bum ankle or not, and I'm not taking a follow-up, so don't do that.

Q. You made the adjustments late in the series against Boston with their length when they switched on Al, and they switched on Robert Williams III. What type of challenges defensively does Denver pose compared to Boston that maybe you don't have to worry about?

JIMMY BUTLER: Honestly, I haven't seen paid attention to it just yet. I haven't lied to you. I've got a lot of time between after this media session and the game to really lock in on what I'm going to do to help this team win on both sides of the ball. But I'm going to play the right way.

If I'm not open, I'm going to pass the ball. I'm going to try to collapse the defense and create help, kick it to my open shooters, play basketball the right way, and know that this team’s way of playing basketball is going to win it for us.