“Keep it real with one another. We got in a little predicament [Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs]. But it’s nothing new. Everything is not all good all the time. But we both want to win, we both have the same agenda. So I think he’s helping me grow a tremendous amount, talking about leadership as a player and what to look for with my guys. He’s making sure that I put a lot of trust in my teammates and in my young guys, and I appreciate him for it.”-Jimmy Butler on Erik Spoestra
Spoelstra describes his relationship with Butler as a partnership. “It has to be with the best players in this league. He has such vast experience and a great IQ and feel for the game, and how to manage the game and manipulate a game and to do that on both ends. This year has presented both of us with a much different challenge than last year. We’re dealing with a different kind of season and a lot of different adversities. It has been really challenging. I think we both have grown, both been stretched from this in different ways.”
