#Heat still can ‘do something special’ vs. Lakers

Jimmy Butler promised a victory by his Heat in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. What we got Friday night was another Lakers laugher — and nut-cutting time for the Heat.

Anthony Davis and LeBron James led the Lakers to a 124-114 win in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. And with shorthanded Miami playing without starters Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo, the Heat look to be on the verge of a sweep.

“We’re never giving up. We’re going to fight and we’re going to ride with this thing until the wheels fall off,” Butler said. “It’s not over. We’re just down 0-2, so we got to do something special. We’re capable of it and I wouldn’t want to be in the trenches with any other guys except for the ones that we have.”

Butler had vowed beforehand that the Heat would win. And he did his part, with 25 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. But Miami was too shorthanded.

Adebayo was out with neck and left shoulder injuries. Dragic suffered a plantar tear of his left foot during Wednesday’s 116-98 Game 1 loss. Both were initially listed as doubtful, but both sat out. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra was coy about whether they’ll practice Saturday, or if they could play Sunday in Game 3.

“I had to play the role of not just head coach, but almost of a parent the last 24 hours,” Spoelstra said. “These two guys are really amazing. Like everybody in our locker room, there’s a real special sense of brotherhood and responsibility. They were both lobbying to play, and we ultimately had to take the decision out of their hands.”

The Heat, who long ago built their identity on teamwork and toughness, were bitterly disappointing on both counts. Udonis Haslem, who has three championship rings from his 17 seasons in Miami, lit into his teammates with a profane rant during a third quarter timeout, railing about the non-effort.

But it proved a day late and a couple of defensive stops short. The Heat rallied, but they could get no closer than 100-91 with 37.2 seconds left in the third, and again at 108-99 early in the fourth.

“What he said? That we got to do it from the jump though, it shouldn’t take him telling us to do that,” Butler said. “But I like the way that we responded to it. But we got guys that when you tell them what it is, we normally respond. So maybe he should just start the game off cussing people out.

“Play harder, empty the tanks. That’s what we’re going to have to do when we’re down two stars like Bam and Goran. Everybody got to lock in, we got to be, you know, three places at once. It’s so hard to do but we got guys that have to do it. That’s what it’s going to take to beat this team. That’s what he said, play harder. That’s what it’s going to take for us to win a championship.”