Jimmy Butler's bold Celtics take does not age well after Heat drop Game 3 at home: "If I gotta hear one more praise"

Jimmy Butler has to be extremely frustrated he can’t help his Miami Heat teammates in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics. “Jimmy Buckets” sprained the MCL in his right knee in Miami’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the play-in tournament game. He has been shelved for weeks and does not have a definite timeline for a return.

Leading into Saturday’s Game 3 in South Beach, Butler was asked how he could instill confidence in Heat fans who still have doubts. The reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP stopped the notion that the franchise fan base does not have confidence in the team. He insisted that only Heat fans believe in them while everyone else hasn't given them a chance of winning the series.

Jimmy Butler added:

“If I have to hear one more praise about Boston on national TV when we win a game, I’m tired of hearing that, man. It’s 1-1 and we about to go up 2-1.”

Butler was likely right about Miami Heat fans believing in their team. He was just dead wrong about the outcome of Game 3. The Boston Celtics invaded South Beach and whipped the hosts 104-84. Jayson Tatum and Co. took the lead and never surrendered it as they cruised to another win in Miami.

Miami’s defensive plan was to keep the Celtics from hitting their stride from deep. For the second straight game, the strategy worked but this time, the result was different. Boston shot only 29.7% from deep but its elite defense also made Jimmy Butler’s Miami Heat suffer.

The Celtics were so much better than the Heat in Game 3 except 3-point shooting. Joe Mazzulla’s charges crushed the Heat in the paint, had fewer turnovers and executed well on offense despite misfiring on many of their 3s.

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The Heat-Celtics series will be over before Jimmy Butler can return

The Boston Celtics showed in Game 3 why they are heavy favorites to win the series. Without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier lining up across the Cs, Boston’s path to the second round looks unimpeded. The Heat played well on Saturday but the Celtics simply overwhelmed them.

Miami’s offense has been sluggish all season with Butler available. Minus him, it has fallen on Tyler Herro to carry the burden of the offense. The former Sixth Man of the Year winner has his moments together with Bam Adebayo, but Boston has an answer for them. Herro doesn’t look like he is ready for the load Erik Spoelstra has been forced to put on him.

Compounding the Heat's misery is the Boston Celtics’ defense, which is about as good as their offense. Sans Jimmy Butler the odds are stacked against Miami. “Jimmy Buckets” will return at some point but the series will be over when he’s healthy enough to play.