MIAMI – The forward of the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butleris confident he will be ready for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia on Monday night as he continues to deal with soreness in his right knee.
“That’s fine,” Butler said after Saturday’s practice. “We have another day in between. I know I’ll be ready to hang in there on Monday, but the time off has been great for me and a lot of other guys who are busy. Everybody is ready.”
Butler sat out Game 5 of the Heat’s pass-clinching victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said all the players, a group that included Butler and the veteran Kyle Lowrythey were able to do “a little more than [el viernes]”. The guard of the Heat, Tyler HerroHe also maintained that he would be ready for Game 1 after missing practice Friday with a cold.
As the Heat continue preparations for the Sixers series, Butler acknowledged that he feels “bad” for his former teammate. Joel Embid. The Sixers center suffered a minor concussion and orbital fracture in the Sixers’ victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 on Thursday night. His availability for this series remains unclear.
“I feel bad for my ‘boy,'” Butler said. “Obviously one of my former teammates, possibly the MVP of this league. And I think I speak for everyone who’s on this team, we want him to play. We want to face them at full strength.”
Butler, who spent part of the 2018-19 season with the Sixers after being traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves, knows things will be different for his former team without Embiid on the floor.
“I’m not an analysis guy, obviously,” Butler said. “But I was told they’re a much better team defensively whenever he’s on the floor like he should be. I guess offensively as well. The way he draws double teams, triple teams, quad teams. five guys who are protecting him.
“And he makes the right plays, too, but he’s been doing this for a long time in this league, for sure this year. He would get my vote for MVP. It’s going to be a challenge, but they beat us once without him.”
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Butler ready against 76ers but ‘sad’ for Embiid