Jimmy Butler gave an honest reaction after the Miami Heat lost to the Boston Celtics in Game Six of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics claimed a 104-103 win in Game Six to level the series at 3-3, with Derrick White scoring a buzzer-beating bucket to secure the victory. Marcus Smart had missed a three-pointer in the closing seconds, before White tipped in the rebound at the rim.
It’s the first time that a team in NBA history has levelled a series at 3-3 after being 3-0 down since the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers. Before them it was the 1994 Denver Nuggets and the 1951 New York Knicks, but all three would lose their Game Seven afterwards.
Butler scored 24 points for the Heat but could not prevent his team from losing the game. Butler scored three free throws to hand the Heat a one-point lead with just three seconds left on the clock, but that was enough time for White and the Celtics to find a bucket at the buzzer.
After the game Butler responded to the defeat and the prospect of a Game Seven. The 33-year-old was upbeat despite his team losing, and sent a rousing message to his teammates ahead of the series decider on Monday.
"Basketball for you," Butler told CBS Sports . "Basketball at its finest. Very, very, very entertaining. But that's good basketball.
“I think, I believe, as we all do, like you're going to get the same test until you pass it, I swear. We were in this same position last year. We can do it. I know that we will do it.
“We've got to go on the road and win in a very, very, very tough environment. But we are capable of it. So let's get busy.
"I mean, I tell them, there ain't nothing you can do about it now. All you can do is move on. But honestly, I'm proud of the guys to never give up, fight to the very end and giving us a chance to win this basketball game.
"Didn't go our way. Part of it. It hasn't been going our way a lot this year. So this is nothing new. We have got to go on the road and do something special. But we've got a special group, so why not it be us?"
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra was also honest with his assessment of his team’s defeat to the Celtics. The Heat coach was left with the feeling of regret for the way the game ended with a buzzer-beating play from White.
"Making that ball go anywhere but Jayson Tatum. Ideally, you would think, you hope you do the right things," said Spoelstra. "That thing just bounced a different way.
“That's the only place it could have bounced to hurt us. I thought we had a lot of things covered on that play and sometimes things just don't break your way.
"I don't think there's any regrets on that. It's just a shame. But look, this is the way this season has been.
“This is one hell of a series. At this time right now, I don't know how we are going to get this done, but we are going up there and get it done. And that's what the next 48 hours is about."
