Jimmy Butler And The Miami Heat Starting To Look Like The Perfect Combination

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler had 28 points in a 113-101 victory against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their first-round series

Some have questioned whether Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is worthy of the superstar label.

He left little doubt after Tuesday's performance against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their first-round playoffs series in Orlando. Butler scored a game-high 28 points in the Heat's 113-101 victory.

"That what he has been his entire career," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "He's somebody that in those pressure moments, you throw him the ball, and he's going to make a play you trust is going to be good for the team. The other thing you've got to love about Jimmy is he's willing to put himself out there. Make or miss, he wants the responsibility. That's obviously why we sought him out."

Butler made a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help ice the game. He had been shooting just 24 percent from the arc, the lowest since his rookie season.

"I take what the game gives me the majority of the time," Butler said. "Sometimes, I unfortunately take some bad shots. But in the end, my teammates, my coaches are like, `Don't lose this game. Win it for us.' That's what I was thinking. Make the right play and those two possessions it was a pull-up three." 

The shots were exactly what teammate Bam Adebayo has wanted from Butler all season.

"I yell at him all the time to shoot the ball," Adebayo said. "He does the same thing with me, `shoot the ball, shoot the ball.' (Tuesday) it just clicked where he listened to me. He made two big threes. I'm proud of him. We need him to keep that same fire and desire in his eyes that he had. Just keep going."

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