Jimmy Butler knows where his Miami Heat went wrong in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Heat lost to the Boston Celtics 117-106 in Game 3 on Saturday night in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Celtics came out desperate for a win and meant business. They never trailed during the game and led by as many as 20.
According to Butler, the problem was very simple: “We didn’t play hard enough, or do anything we set out to do,” Butler said after the game.
Miami made comebacks in Games 1 and 2 of the series but they were unable to come back in Game 3.
Butler scored 17 points in the game and was actually on the bench for the final 46.9 seconds. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he was hoping to get something different down seven at the end.
Boston had a must-win mentality for the game and that’s why they played harder than Miami. Butler believes that moving forward, the Heat will find out what they are made of.
The Heat and Celtics have played every other day for the first three games of the series, but now they will have three full days off before Game 4 on Wednesday. Miami might need the extra rest to come back energized.
