BOSTON -- Jimmy Butler called his shot.
A year to the day before leading the No. 8 seeded Heat to a 103-84 win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night over the Boston Celtics, earning the Heat the distinction of being just the second team in NBA history to earn at Finals berth as a No. 8 seed, Butler sat inside of a conference room near the Heat's home locker room in Miami and vowed to lead his team back to clear the hurdle that had just eluded them.
After a hard-fought Game 7 loss to the Celtics during the 2022 Eastern Conference finals, one in which Butler missed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds that may have given the Heat a win, he had a quick response when asked what he felt the Heat needed in order to clear the threshold the following season.