MIAMI — Ahead of last season’s sweep out of the first round of the playoffs, Jimmy Butler said he was “stupidly locked in.” Butler’s tone was a bit different as he stood in front of microphones for his preplayoff media session following Thursday’s practice at FTX Arena.
“No, not really,” Butler said when asked if anything changes for him or his teammates in the playoffs. “We’re going to continue to play the same way. Guys are just going to get better and better as the playoffs come along and find a way to win 16 games.”
The Heat’s wait to learn their first-round opponent ends soon, as the winner of Friday night’s play-in game between the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will earn that title. Butler has tried not to get too caught up with the different possibilities throughout the week, choosing to wait until the Heat’s playoff opponent is decided Friday before focusing on scouting reports and matchups.
