The Miami Heat are set to take on the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals beginning on Thursday. After the Heat’s Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, Jimmy Butler was at the postgame press conference podium when he was scared by a bumblebee that made its way into arena.
“Oh my God, y’all saw that?!” Butler asked. “Godd-mn bumblebee.”
Who Isn’t Afraid Of A Bee?
We can all relate. Bee stings are not pleasant and if you’re allergic or prone to reactions they’re especially not pleasant.
Butler has had an excellent playoffs and the nickname “Playoff Jimmy” has caught fire yet again. He has an incredible ability to play elite basketball in big moments. By and large he’s an excellent basketball player who also plays excellent in big games.
While a bee may have startled Butler, his focus is on the Nuggets and the challenge they provide, led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic who has been the best player in these playoffs.
Nuggets head coach Mike Malone knows, this Finals series will be the toughest of the playoffs for both teams.
“You get to the NBA Finals, it’s not about seeding anymore,” Malone said after practice on Tuesday. “And for those who are thinking that this is going to be an easy series, I don’t even know what to say to you people.
“This is going to be the biggest challenge of our lives. This is the NBA Finals. You’re trying to win the first NBA championship in franchise history, and it’s going to be the hardest thing that we’ve ever done — which is the way it should be.”
Coaches and players love throwing out clichĂ©s and platitudes especially before the championship round. It’s part of the performance but they believe a lot of what they say too.
Appropriate Fear
This will be the toughest series for both teams and they should both approach it with what San Antonio Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich calls “appropriate fear.”
“Never losing an appropriate fear,” Popovich said in 2017. “Having an appropriate fear allows you to respect your opponent and know nothing is going to be easy.”
The NBA Finals is the pinnacle of the sport. Players, coaches and executives dream of this moment and what it might feel like to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. But getting there is only half the battle, you have to seize the opportunity and not take it for granted.
The history of the NBA is littered with players and coaches that have made the Finals and failed to win it, never having the opportunity to return and try again.
This league is too hard and the competition is too fierce.
Butler and the Heat made the Finals in 2020 and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. It took three seasons to return and they barely made the playoffs, having to squeak in through the play-in.
After last season’s brutal Game 7 loss to the Celtics in the conference finals Butler said the Heat would be back in the same position this season and get the job done. He looks like a prophet right now.
Now he and the Heat have the chance to win the championship and the Nuggets and Jokic stand in their way. Both teams will approach with the mindset that nothing is guaranteed or promised and they must seize this moment. The beautiful and tragic thing is only one will realize their dream.
