There is a tangible sense of Jimmy Butler's self-confidence and that of his Miami Heat teammates in the locker room.
The superstar swingman acknowledged that he always thought this kind of run was possible for the eighth-seeded Heat, despite all the challenges that have appeared in their path throughout the season,
after he dominated yet another postseason game, scoring 35 points while racking up seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds in Wednesday night's 123-116 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
"Damn right I did," Butler remarked. Sure enough, we did. The best part is that, in all honesty, we still don't care what any of you think. If you think we will win, we don't care. Never have we.
We won't ever. We are familiar with the individuals that share this locker room. We are aware of how much faith and trust Coach [Erik Spoelstra] has in each and every one of us. also Coach Pat Riley.
"Even though our group is small, everyone in it cares deeply about one another. We constantly infuse everyone with confidence. Knowing that we always have a shot, we go out there and play basketball the right way.