‘He is us and we are him.’ Heat taking on Jimmy Butler’s identity during historic playoff run

Earlier in the playoffs, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra needed only seven words to describe Jimmy Butler’s impact on the rest of the roster and organization.

“He is us and we are him,” Spoelstra said during the Heat’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Butler doesn’t care what outsiders think, he won’t allow anybody to put limitations on him or his team and his relentless competitive drive is his trademark trait.

The Heat has taken on its best player’s identity during its historic playoff run as a No. 8 seed, which continued with Wednesday night’s 123-116 win over the second-seeded Boston Celtics to open the Eastern Conference finals at TD Garden. The Heat is only the second No. 8 seed in league history to advance to the conference finals, and is now just three wins away from becoming the second No. 8 seed to make the NBA Finals and seven wins away from becoming the first No. 8 seed to win an NBA championship.

With the Heat holding a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series, Game 2 is Friday at TD Garden (8:30 p.m., TNT).

“Damn right I did,” Butler said after Wednesday’s win, when asked if he really believed this type of playoff run was possible when the Heat faced an elimination game in the play-in tournament just five weeks ago. “Damn right we did. And the best part about it is we still don’t care what none of y’all think, honestly speaking. We don’t care if you pick us to win. We never have. We never will. We know the group of guys we have in this locker room. We know that coach Spo puts so much confidence and belief in each and every one of us. Coach [Pat Riley], as well.

“So our circle is small, but the circle got so much love for one another. We pump constant confidence into everybody. We go out there and we hoop and we play basketball the right way, knowing that we’ve always got a chance.”

That’s why the Heat didn’t stop pushing even after falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half of Wednesday’s road game.

Instead, the Heat responded with its highest-scoring playoff quarter in franchise history to outscore the Celtics 46-25 in the third period, turning a nine-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Butler was the catalyst behind the late-game surge, totaling 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 shooting from three-point range and 6-of-7 shooting from the foul line, three rebounds, five assists and four steals while playing the entire second half. Three of Butler’s four second-half steals came in a span of 3:35 late in the fourth quarter to help the Heat close out the win.

“You can’t quantify it. There’s no analytic to it,” Spoelstra said of the confidence that Butler’s presence instills in teammates. “Just the feeling of stability in the locker room.

“You know, there’s just a settling effect that is impossible to quantify. Like, all right, we are in striking distance. Let’s just settle into our game, and Jimmy will make a bunch of plays, Bam [Adebayo] will make a bunch of plays and everybody will be all right and everybody will just fit into their roles. But that’s what the great players do.”

Butler finished Wednesday’s win with a game-high 35 points on 12-of-25 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 shooting from the foul line, to go with five rebounds, seven assists and six steals. He became just the fourth player in NBA history to finish a playoff game with at least 35 points, five rebounds, seven assists and six steals, joining a list that includes Michael Jordan (twice), Rick Barry and Gary Payton.

“He’s one of the best players in the world for a reason,” Butler’s close friend and Heat teammate Kyle Lowry said.

Butler, 33, is averaging 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range in 11 games in this year’s playoffs. He missed one game this postseason early in the second round because of a sprained right ankle that he’s still battling the lingering effects of.

At this pace, Dwyane Wade is the only Heat player who averaged more points per game than Butler during a playoff run. Wade averaged 33.2 points during the 2010 playoffs, but Miami’s run that year lasted only five games and didn’t get past the first round.

Butler is also on track to become just the third player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals during a single playoff run that lasted at least 10 games. The list of those who have done it includes Jordan (five times) and James Harden.

“It’s just a joy to watch it,” Lowry continued on Butler. “For a guy that wants it so bad and works so hard at his craft, it’s important to enjoy his success. He gives us all the confidence to be successful and be aggressive and be assertive. That’s what makes him special, that it’s not all about him. He’s about our group and our team and everyone else.

The Heat’s historic playoff run as a No. 8 seed has been led by Butler’s historic playoff run. It’s only fitting because as Spoelstra would say, “He is us and we are him.”

“I really feel as though with anything in life, if you get the opportunity and you have the belief that my teammates, my coaches, coach Pat, ownership have in me to kind of lead the charge, along with Bam right now, anything is possible,” Butler said.

“I’m playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so. They are not putting a limit on my game. They are trusting me with the ball, on the defensive end. I think that’s what any basketball player wants. That’s what anybody wants out of life is just to be wanted, be appreciated and just let you go out there and rock.”