It became something of a mantra for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat after their blowout loss in Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals: "No one cares."
Butler repeated it over and over again, as the Heat tried to formulate a game plan to upset the Los Angeles Lakers without Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic. Injuries to two of Miami's three best players wouldn't be an excuse with a championship on the line, so Butler wouldn't let it be one.
In Game 3, the All-Star wing put together one of the best performances in NBA Finals history to will the Heat to a 115-104 win in Lake Buena Vista.
Butler scored 40 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 13 assists for a historic triple-double.
He added two steals and two blocks, and was Miami's go-to option to defend LeBron James in critical moments.
He shot 14 of 20 from the field while the rest of his teammates were just 27 of 60. With Adebayo and Dragic both sidelined for the second straight game, Butler almost singlehandedly cut the Lakers' series lead to 2-1 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
The Heat spent most of Sunday ahead of Los Angeles. The Lakers only led six times and only once in the second half. Los Angeles never led by more than four, and Miami built its lead up to 14 in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers used an 8-0 run to take a 91-89 lead with 8:56 left. The Heat responded with an 8-0 run of its own. Butler started it with a fadeaway in the paint, then coaxed James into a travel. On the next possession, he folded Los Angeles' defense with a drive and kicked out to post player Kelly Olynyk for a three-pointer.
Miami made two more stops and Butler again found rookie wing Tyler Herro for a three to push the lead back up to 97-91.
Butler scored or assisted on all but five of the Heat's points the rest of the way, including 18 of Miami's next 20 to put the Heat ahead 109-100 with 1:13 left.
Butler played 45 minutes and was the best player on the court for all of them. Anthony Davis and LeBron James combined for just 40 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists.
In the first half alone, Butler scored 19 points, pulled in six rebounds, dished out six assists and grabbed two steals. The Heat jumped out to a 13-point lead and clung to a 58-54 lead at halftime, in part by holding Anthony Davis to just five points as the superstar post player dealt with foul trouble.
Still, Miami was as shorthanded as any team ever has been in the Finals.
Another 48 hours wasn't enough time for the Heat to get any closer to full strength Sunday. Dragic still couldn't manage the pain enough to play through the torn plantar fascia in his left foot.
Adebayo still couldn't quite return from his neck strain, although he did warm up on the court ahead of tipoff. After both went down with those injuries in Game 1 on Wednesday, they both missed their second straight game in the NBA Finals on Sunday _ an average of 37.8 points per game, 14.9 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.1 steals missing from the starting lineup.
It left Miami without its leading scorer for the first three rounds of the 2020 NBA playoffs _ Dragic _ and its leader in rebounds and assists _ Adebayo _ as it tried to begin a comeback Sunday.
In Game 2 on Friday, the Heat made do on offense, asking Butler to initiate on nearly every possession he played. The defense _ and particularly defensive rebounding _ was severely compromised, though, without Adebayo and the Lakers collected 16 offensive rebounds, scored 21 second-chance points and finished with 56 points in the paint.
It took a historic effort to win Sunday, but Miami is still alive and another 48 hours away from a chance to even the series.
