When the Miami Heat stepped on the court again without their key players, everyone quickly assumed that a 0-3 was inevitable. However, just two minutes into the game, and that assumption quickly went out of the window. The LeBron James led-team totally lost at the defense.

The Heat were extremely good with their defending, even without Bam Adebayo. The experimenting and tweaking at the defensive end worked in their favor. They generated enough looks offensively to keep the score ticking. Their starting five certainly remained more productive than that of the Lakers’.

Jimmy Butler vs LeBron James

It now seems like LeBron James’ condescending comment that the Heat were “in trouble” went against himself. Jimmy Butler came prepared for Game 3 and did not drop the guns in any quarter. In the first half alone, he had 19 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds with 66.67% FG. Throughout the game, he outscored each of Bron’s figures. 

Jimmy G. Buckets had an FG% of 70 against LeBron’s 56.3. He converted 85.7% FTs as compared to the Akron Hammer’s 66.7%. Moreover, he had three fewer turnovers than his legendary opponent’s eight, and he even recorded a couple more steals. These heavy stats insert a pin in LeBron’s padded numbers, who had never before been dominated in all aspects of an NBA Finals game. One must note that LeBron has played against the likes of Stephen Curry and James Harden while teaming up with megastar figures like Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving. Even then, Jimmy managed to beat his record with style. 

The Lakers starting five were put to shame

Not even Anthony Davis could add much to the score. The star duo of LeBron and Anthony combined 40 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists which can be compared with Jimmy’s 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The Heat had five of their players scoring in the double-figure, and all this led to a wonderful offense.

The 6’11” Kelly Olynyk had some good defensive moments while Duncan Robinson did a decent job guarding Bron and AD on various occasions. Jimmy’s dominance received good support from his squad while LeBron didn’t. Bron himself looked quite worn out in the clutch moments.

The NBA Finals are only going to get better thanks to this comeback!