(Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Some notable NBA players have a standard modus operandi after they lose in the playoffs.
Shortly after the loss, they show up limping or wearing a brace, and then the media finds out about a new injury that hadn’t been talked about for weeks.
They talk about how the player played through the injury for the past couple of weeks and whether he’ll need surgery or not, reporting on the matter for the very first time.
That’s not Jimmy Butler’s style, though.
He was playing through an ankle injury, but he’s not the one to make up excuses after losing, and he made it clear by stating that his hurting ankle had absolutely nothing to do with the Denver Nuggets beating them fair and square, per Brady Hawk.
Jimmy Butler asked about how much he’s been affected by his ankle:
“Zero. My ankle’s fine. We just didn’t win, there’s no excuse. They beat us.”
(via @BradyHawk305) pic.twitter.com/VqLEK29dZz
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 13, 2023
Notably, this seems to be way more respectable and honest than aggravating or leaking an injury right after the loss; that just seems fake.
Butler got off to a historic start to the postseason and was arguably the best player on Earth during that series vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, but his scoring numbers and efficiency went down as the weeks went by.
Perhaps it had to do with exhaustion, or maybe it was that rival defenses figured him out.
Whatever the case, he’s not the one to cry over the spilled milk or blame injuries or whatnot for his own shortcomings.
The Heat overachieved, but it got to a point where it was unsustainable, and the Nuggets simply were the better team four times out of five; it happens.
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