Jimmy Butler knocked the arrogance out of the Lakers — and may have rescued these NBA Finals

So there is drama now, if not full-on uncertainty. Because Heat starters Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic are out with injuries, the Lakers aren’t facing a fully stocked challenger, which severely hinders the likelihood that these Finals can reach peak competitiveness. Nevertheless, L.A. must deal with the relentless Butler. On Sunday, he knocked the arrogance out of the Lakers with his 40-point triple-double. In leading the Heat to a 115-104 victory, Butler left the Lakers frustrated, turnover prone and without swagger, at least for one night.

“Look, how do you … how else do you say it other than Jimmy Effing Butler?” Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But this is what he wanted. This is what we wanted. It’s really hard to analyze or describe Jimmy until you actually feel him between the four lines. He’s a supreme, elite competitor, and we needed it.”

It may have been Butler’s and the Heat’s best punch. Or it may have bought time for those reinforcements Miami desperately needs. For certain, it’s not a sustainable game plan for the Heat to expect more historic Butler performances to even this 2-1 series and pose a legitimate threat to win the championship. The Heat will have to find more ways to win, if other options still exist for it. But finally, there’s a smidgen of doubt about the ultimate outcome. The Lakers have been pushed (okay, maybe nudged). Their superiority doesn’t matter as much as the Heat developing an understanding of how it can compete.

“We’re just settling down,” Butler said. “I think it’s a lot of bright lights. It’s a big stage for almost everybody. … Nobody’s been here before. But we’re coming to realize we belong here.”

There are few players who can leverage hope as well as Butler. Look at him, down two games in the series and barking late in Game 3 after scoring on Markieff Morris, “They’re in trouble!” That’s Butler, falling to the floor again and again, rising and asking for more, always feeling as though he’s inching toward a knockout blow.

For Butler, this game stands as a career masterpiece nine years in the making. He probably doesn’t have another performance like that in him. But the stats — 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 45 minutes — are a dramatic representation of the impact Butler has on winning.

He didn’t just punctuate his phenomenal, all-around floor game with the kind of scoring explosion we’re used to seeing from today’s perimeter players. No, Butler did it without attempting a three-pointer, driving over and over into the teeth of the Lakers’ athletic, oversize defense, hitting pull-up jumpers, attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line. Who does that? Well, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — two of the greatest centers of all time — are the only contemporary players to dominate a Finals game attacking so exclusively inside the arc. Butler is 6-foot-7. He and Kawhi Leonard might be the only two perimeter players in that size range capable of such a punishing offensive effort.

Butler also guarded LeBron James for much of the game and was a huge factor in forcing him into eight turnovers.

“Obviously this was a very desperate, urgent game and he was doing it on both ends of the court, just put his imprint on every important part of the game,” Spoelstra said. “He’s in the top percentile of this entire association in terms of conditioning, and you saw he just got stronger as the game went on.”

What a competitor. And what a lesson for people who follow the NBA, or any other team sport, and fixate too much on championship rings as the only way to measure greatness.

Miami has won three NBA titles, but Butler’s Game 3 was one of the finest moments in franchise history. He continues to help the Heat redefine itself, which could pave the way for future glory. Butler could play poorly in the next two games, and the Lakers could close these Finals with back-to-back blowout victories, yet Butler still would be remembered as a fearless competitor whose determination was an enlivening influence during a difficult NBA season.

“We know how Jimmy is in these moments,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said. “And the world has seen what Jimmy Butler is capable of.”

James, who has a 3-6 Finals record, has finished as the runner-up several times despite stellar performances. He knows what it’s like to do everything one star can reasonably do and still exit in disappointment. James can appreciate how hard Butler is fighting.

“Love it,” he said of playing against Butler. “Love it. One of the best competitors we have in our game. We love that opportunity. For me, personally, I don’t know how many more opportunities I’m going to have, so to be able to go against a fierce competitor like that is something I’ll look back on when I’m done playing. I’ll miss those moments.”

A few chippy in-game exchanges between the two actually qualify as mutual respect. As Butler witnessed James storm off the court at the end of Game 3, he must have known he accomplished something else: an acknowledgment that the Heat, though undermanned, is still a problem.

The problem is that Butler won’t quit. He is challenging the Lakers to elevate — or watch him fulfill his “They’re in trouble!” prophecy.