Jimmy Butler does not appear worried at all after Heat lose Game 4 to Celtics

BOSTON — The Heat had a chance to take care of business, win a clinching Game 4 at home, and soak in some sweet, sweet rest while preparing to face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals next Thursday.

Instead, the Heat gave away a nine-point lead in the third quarter, allowing the Celtics to look their best en route to a season-saving blowout victory for Boston.

Now, instead of resting and preparing, the Heat have to fly to Boston to try to beat the Celtics again on Thursday. And if the Celtics can play their best for a second straight game, then the series will extend to Game 6 on Saturday.

It’s a lot to think about. But Jimmy Butler doesn’t really seem worried about it.

The Heat superstar was asked what he will do after a loss to avoid getting down. The answer started pretty generic … but then got rather specific.

“Stay consistent. Do the same thing that I do, that we do, after every game,” Butler said. “We are going to listen to some music. We’re going to drink some beers back there. We are going to go have some wine.”

Those refreshments obviously would’ve tasted a little bit better if the Heat were wearing Eastern Conference champs gear, but Butler stressed that there’s no reason to panic.

“I don’t think that you can just focus on basketball all the time. You have to be able to get away from the game a little bit. Think about it, but at the end of the day, you fall back on your habits, how consistent you’re going to be,” he said. “Myself and my teammates, we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to smile. We’re going to be in this thing together like we always are, and we are going to go get one on the road.”

The victory for Boston was enough to convince some people that a history-altering comeback from a 3-0 deficit is now somewhat possible. But Butler’s outlook allowed him to flip the notion of the Celtics gaining momentum from the win on its head.

“No. If anything, it will build momentum for us knowing that we have to play with a lot more energy,” Butler said. “We’ve got to play like our backs are against the wall. But I think all year long, we’ve been better when we’ve had to do things the hard way.”

Butler was also asked what he might say to the team to avoid a similar letdown in Game 5.

“The only thing I’m going to say is: We’ll be OK. Let’s get back to doing what we’ve always done to get us to this point. Continually have belief in one another, knowing that we are going to win, and we will. We’ve just got to play harder,” Butler said. “There’s not too much to say with this group because we already know. So we’ve just got to go out there and execute.”

Butler scored 29 points in Game 4 but was a minus-20, the second-worst mark on the team. A less-experienced player might start to let doubts creep in. But the only thing Butler’s letting in are some sips of Sassicaia and positive thoughts for Game 5.