Jimmy Butler is the key to Miami Heat’s success this season and they need him on the court to increase their chances of winning the NBA Finals. But after his ankle injury in Game 1, things got out of hand for the Heat, and they were defeated by the Lakers 116-98.

The Finals started on an upsetting note for Jimmy Butler and Co. The Lakers were terrific with their performance, but the Heat were short of their key players after numerous injuries.

Butler suffered an ankle injury late in the second quarter. But he continued making contributions on the court, recording 23 points, five assists, and two rebounds in approximately 30 minutes of gameplay. Moreover, he also dropped 8-of-13 buckets from the field that added to a great FG% for the star player.

Jimmy Butler says nobody cares about the injuries unless you deliver

The moment Butler started limping in the middle of Game 1, Heat fans knew it was a bad day for them. To add to their disappointment, Bam Adebayo went to the locker room in the third quarter after getting a left shoulder strain. Goran Dragic followed him soon after with a foot injury.

With three players hurt, Miami got dominated by LeBron James and the Lakers in the entire second half.

Ahead of Game 2, Butler spoke about his injury updates and it seemed like it was going to be a green signal for the upcoming series. When asked about how he coped up with playing along with the pain, Butler said, “Just find a way to win when it comes to it. If you can go, try to go. If you can’t, you just can’t. That’s just the way that the game goes sometimes.”

Butler added, “As far as I am right now, I’m okay. It’s like I always say, nobody cares, as long as I suit up and go out there and compete. I’m expected to produce and try to help win. If I suit up, which I will, we got to win the game.”

This will come as a relief to Miami supporters. It hasn’t been an easy journey for the East champions. After making it this far, it would be unfair if injuries held them back.

Having Butler back is a good sign, but updates on Dragic and Adebayo are still pending. Only time will tell if this series will turn out to be a tight one or a one-sided affair.