Heat’s Butler vows to up the aggression, Adebayo vows to maintain it vs. Nuggets in Game 2 of NBA Finals

Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo expect better Miami Heat balance against the Denver Nuggets in Sunday's Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

DENVER – Bam Adebayo said he plans to stay aggressive. Jimmy Butler vowed to become more aggressive.

That was the mindset expressed Saturday by the Miami Heat’s leading men heading into Sunday’s 8 p.m. Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, with the Heat down 1-0 in the best-of-seven series.

While Adebayo closed Thursday’s 104-93 Game 1 loss with 26 points, he did it on 25 shots. Butler, by contrast, was limited to a playoff-low 13 points, shooting 6 of 14.

“I just think I’ve got to do a better job of getting the ball, demanding the ball, being more aggressive,” Butler said. “That’s just that, and that will change come Game 2. Yes, they do have some really good defenders, but I have seen really good defenders before.”

Like Adebayo, Butler did not get to the foul line in Game 2, a game the Heat shot only two free throws, an NBA playoff all-time low.

But Butler said he is not going to bypass open teammates to instead play in traffic.

“I’m going to continue to play the right way,” he said. “I’m going to pass the ball to my shooters the way I have been playing the entire playoffs, the entire year.

“But yeah, I think I’ve got to be more aggressive putting pressure on the rim. I think that makes everybody’s job a lot easier. They definitely follow suit whenever I’m aggressive on both sides of the ball. So I have to be the one to come out and kick that off the right way, which I will, and we’ll see where we end up.”

For his part, Adebayo said this is no time to back off, particularly with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic playing in drop mode on defense, allowing for open mid-range attempts.

“I feel like all those shots were in my wheelhouse, and I’ve been shooting them all season,” Adebayo said.

It also feels as if the Nuggets are willing to allow it to happen again.

“Well, we didn’t go in saying we’re going to make Bam Adebayo beat us,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “We came in with full respect for Bam Adebayo.

“But if you’re going to score 26 points on 25 shots, that’s something we’re willing to live with.”

But Adebayo said it doesn’t mean he has to be the one in the pick-and-roll game winding up with the shots, with a Game 2 goal of helping create attack lanes for Butler.

“I think it’s the nature of how Denver is playing it,” he said. “They don’t want him getting downhill and being in open space. I feel like the biggest thing when we’re in pick-and-roll is for me to get him open. That’s the point of the pick-and-roll, to get my guy open and let him have space.”

Spoelstra said the Heat went to school on the disparity during the two-day Finals break.

“Obviously, we want to get J.B. and Bam involved as much as possible,” he said. “They are our two best players. We have to do it in different ways so it’s not just a steady diet of whatever that may be.

“And there were certain aspects of what we did the other night that were very good, and there are other areas offensively where we definitely need to improve and be more intentional.”

And more aggressive, with Spoelstra acknowledging the tape did not lie when it came to the Heat getting only two free-throw attempts, both taken by forward Haywood Highsmith.

“I thought the free-throw disparity was appropriate,” Spoelstra said. “Maybe we could have got two, four, six more based on a call here or a call there. But overall our attack numbers were lower, and that usually translates into lower free-throw attempts.

“Obviously we want to have a little more balance with our attacks and paint opportunities, against a team that does a good job taking it away.”

Mostly, Butler said it is an imbalance that is fixable.

I don’t think too much has to be said, I really don’t. Down 0-3 up 3-0, you’ve got to get to four. It’s never over. Nobody is ever counted out. You’ve got to get to four. Once you get to four, it’s over with,” he said.

“So down 0-1, we know we are going to get to four. We are in there laughing, in there smiling, knowing that we could play better. We will play better. We have to be better if we want to win. Not too much is said. It’s all about what we’re going to do.”