Jimmy Butler came full circle, declaring: "We haven't done anything yet, we want a championship." sport

Miami Heat fans celebrate after beating Boston in Game 7 to be crowned Eastern Conference champions (Twitter)

To understand what makes Miami the special team it is, listen to Jimmy Butler after the big win over Boston. "No one here is satisfied," Butler said after qualifying for the NBA Finals, "we haven't done anything yet. We're not just playing to win the Eastern Conference finals. We're here to win the real thing."

Yes, Miami wants a championship, and while according to betting sites Denver comes in as the clear favorite, right now it's hard to bet against the Heat. Erik Spoelstra's team had already lost a 0-3 lead in the series and saw Boston tie it at 3-3 with three straight wins and the momentum undoubtedly shifting sides. Miami was two-tenths of a second away from qualifying, but Derek White scored a dramatic game-winning basket in Game 6. Instead of breaking, she came back stronger. "I don't know how, but we're going to win the next game," Spoelstra said after the previous loss, and that's exactly what the Heat did today. Won.

Jimmy Butler criticizes Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after qualifying for the NBA Finals (Photo by Getty Images, Adam Glanzman)

Special material. Butler (Photo by Getty Images, Maddie Meyer)

This is a special group, no doubt. They finished seventh in the East, losing in the play-in to Atlanta. In the battle for No. 8, she fell behind in the final quarter against Chicago, but managed to win toothlessly. Then in the first round, they knocked out Milwaukee in five games, when the Bucks were considered title contenders. Then they met New York, and beat them in six games, again of course without home advantage. Now they've beaten Boston, outside, in Game 7, to become the first team ever to make the Finals from the play-in.

"I know what they brought here, and that's to compete at the highest level and bring a championship," Butler said after the 84-103 victory over the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, "They put a group around me that gives me a chance to do that, so I've always been confident, we've worked hard, all the time, because we know what we're capable of... So now we're excited. We are happy. But we are not satisfied. We have one more series to win."

In its 20th season, Haslam returns to the finals

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Butler may have finished with 28 points, but Miami's star player in the game was Caleb Martin, an undrafted player who scored 26 points in Game 7 of a regional final, helping Miami become the first since New York to win the regional championship and advance to the Finals from eighth place. "We just stayed together, a team," Butler said of the last few days in camp, "we talked about how now we're staying together, and going to get one win out there, a tough win, and that's what we did."

Erik Spoelstra knows that "sometimes you have to suffer to get the things you really want. But this group showed resilience. When there are inevitable falls and failures, it has the strength and strength to rise again, display team spirit and keep charging forward until the goal is achieved."

Spoelstra is also aware of Butler's strengths, which go beyond basketball: "It's intense. It's not for everyone. That's why there's a special marriage here. We don't judge him, and he doesn't judge us. It's the same language. But the confidence he creates for the squad is incredible. He's special, with his ability on both sides of the court. He can play 48 minutes, if needed. And he's tough, he's nervous sometimes, but he also knows how to soften someone up to give them confidence at the right time."

In the right direction. Butler (Photo by Getty Images, Maddie Meyer)

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Last year it was the Heat who lost to Boston in Game 7, this time they got the revenge. Butler then missed a decisive shot that could have won the game for Miami, and at the end of that night he said, "Next year, we'll have enough, and we'll get back to the same situation, and we'll do it." Amazingly, it did. "Last year it was painful," said Spoelstra, who complimented her opponent: "We've been thinking about it all year. And if you don't have an opponent like the one that takes you to another level, sometimes you don't get there."

Butler is full of confidence thanks to the winner's "Heat culture." "I just think that with the guys Spoelstra put up, everybody who comes in does the job, and at a high level," Butler says, "and everybody is humble enough to know that when he's replaced, he doesn't complain and stays humble, because the next guy who comes in will do the job too, filling his void. Everyone does exactly what is asked of him. We have what real basketball players are here. Players who know how to win."

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• Miami Heat
• Jimmy Butler
• Erik Spoelstra