Lakers’ LeBron James Praises ‘Phenomenal’ Jimmy Butler After Heat Win Game 3

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

After doing his best LeBron James impression, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler earned high praise from the man himself. 

Butler finished with 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as the Heat beat the Lakers 115-104 despite missing Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic.

James called Butler’s performance “phenomenal.”

“We’ll watch the film and see how we can be better [on him] in Game 4,” he told reporters.

While not referencing Butler directly, LeBron added how the Lakers “knew for sure that Miami wasn’t going to quit” before he went on to say he’s relishing the opportunity to face off with the five-time All-Star.

James probably isn’t panicking too much because he has been in Butler’s position before.

The Golden State Warriors didn’t have much of an answer for LeBron during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ run of four straight Finals. It didn’t ultimately matter much as the Warriors claimed the title in three of those four years.

The Lakers aren’t as good as those Golden State squads, but they have more talent than the Heat, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the health of Dragic and Adebayo.

During his postgame press conference, Butler explained how toppling the Western Conference champions requires “[emptying] the tank on every possession.”

He lived up to those words by logging 45 minutes Sunday night, equaling how long he was on the floor in Game 2. 

Counting on Butler to this extent—no matter how well he’s playing—might backfire in a series that’s looking like it could go at least six games. At some point, the tank will probably start running on empty.

The Lakers clearly need to be better at limiting Butler’s impact on the offensive end. Head coach Frank Vogel and his staff might feel reasonably confident they can stay the course with the likelihood the Heat’s one-man show will unravel sooner or later.