Jimmy Butler took a Heat team that didn’t even qualify for the playoffs last season to the NBA Finals, but in his eyes, even that was coming up a bit short.
Butler was the best player in the Eastern Conference throughout the playoffs, acting as the team’s floor general. At times, he completely took over games, especially down the stretch in the fourth quarter. But he also showed the ability to create open shots for his teammates, putting them in position to succeed. And that’s exactly what Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro did at times — draining shots from the perimeter.
And even though the Heat overachieved in the eyes of many, Butler didn’t necessarily see it that way. In fact, he believes he came up short in his promise to the Heat when the team signed him, as he indicated he made a promise to lead them to a title.
“This is what my team needed me to do, the organization asked of me,” Butler said, via ESPN.com.
“I told them that I would win them one and I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain, so that means I got to do it next year. I told Coach Pat, I told Coach Spo I’m here to win one. I didn’t do my job, so moving forward, I got to hold up my end of the bargain.”
The Heat do have a team comprised of both veteran leadership and young talent, but the element of surprise is no longer on their side. It won’t be easy to return to the Finals in the future.
