
“Jimmy’s just a talented player,” guard Kyle Lowry said. He plays hard, demands others do the same and makes it worthwhile. It doesn’t take long to figure out what Butler is about. He knows what we’re about,” Thibodeau, the Knicks coach who had Butler on his teams in Chicago and Minnesota, said Friday. And I think him being able to get away and clear his headspace has been one of the most productive things for him.” You have to be able to recharge your batteries to gear up and do that over and over and over again. “When you put that much physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy into that will to win, that is so unique. “He puts his soul into competing,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Butler has led Miami to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third time in his four seasons with the Heat this year, a matchup with the New York Knicks awaits, starting Sunday. He does things his way, which is not a bad thing - and the results prove it.


Some Miami teammates jumped around the locker room to celebrate after eliminating top-seeded Milwaukee Butler simply watched while sipping a drink.

Some players rest with one day off between games Butler spent 10 hours flying round-trip to be at Pau Gasol’s Los Angeles Lakers jersey retirement one night and back in Miami for shootaround the next morning. Some players hit beaches over All-Star break Butler went to Argentina to watch tennis and learn about coffee.
