Jimmy Butler’s historic Game 3 performance was one of the best games in NBA Finals history. But soon after Butler’s 40-point triple-double, in which he out-scored, out-rebounded and out-assisted LeBron James, being the first player in playoff history to accomplish such a feat, Anthony Davis decided that was enough.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Davis went to Lakers coach Frank Vogel and requested the Butler assignment after Game 3.
After that game, privately, a frustrated Davis alerted teammates and coaches that he needed to be glued to Butler, sources told Yahoo Sports.
And in Monday’s practice, Davis was officially given the assignment he wanted. After the ball was tipped and when the Heat got their first offensive possession, the tone was set when Davis shadowed Butler.
Butler still had a pretty good game for the Heat, but he was nowhere near as dominant as he was in Miami’s Game 3 win. With Davis blanketing Butler, Butler will need to stay aggressive but the Heat’s other scorers will have to pick up the slack keep themselves alive in the series.
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