Jimmy Butler critical of Heat's low energy in Game 3 loss -- 'Just can't happen' - ESPN

MIAMI — Heat star Jimmy Butler vowed to set a better tone for his team in the wake of Wednesday's 109-94 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, acknowledging that the Heat — playing in their first Finals game in front of a home crowd in nine years — needed to come out with more energy and effort, especially after getting outrebounded by the Nuggets 58-33.

The Heat now trail the series 2-1.

«I don't know,» Butler said, when asked why the energy is lacking. «I can't answer that. Maybe we're at home; we think we did something. I don't know. It just can't happen. It won't happen again. It starts with myself. I have to lock in on the defensive end. I have to go up and get loose balls. I think if I start playing and doing that, then everybody else has to follow suit.»

Aside from Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic (32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists) and Jamal Murray (34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) becoming the first pair of teammates in NBA history to record 30-point triple-doubles in the same regular-season or postseason game, according to ESPN Stats and Information research, what irritated Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was that his team didn't play with the same kind of edge that has defined their unlikely run as a No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

«I just think sometimes, for us, when we lose a lot of those physical battles, the effort plays, the loose balls, the rebounding battles, that's our identity,» Spoelstra said. «And sometimes, that can affect the flow of the rest of your game. That's not an excuse. I think the thing that we've proven over and over and over is we can win and find different ways to win regardless of whether we have confidence, regardless whether the ball is going in.

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