Game 683: The Finals, on the Eve of Game Seven!

The 2023 NBA Finals would tip off on June 19.

At eleven o'clock the morning before the Finals.

The Heat players were practicing at the Training Hall.

This time, no one ignored Doug Lambier anymore.

Although the guy had an unpleasant personality.

Still, they had to admit that without him, they would all be on vacation now. They wouldn't even have had a chance to play Game Seven.

That was especially true of their leader, Butler.

He had entered the NBA in 2011, and it had been 13 years since then.

His desire to win was no weaker than Paul's.

For all those 13 years, he'd had only one goal: winning a championship.

Even when he was still a rookie, averaging just 2.6 points per game, that goal had never changed.

He wasn't especially gifted and couldn't soar through the air like other stars.

So, to achieve that goal, he kept pushing himself in the weight room and on the court.

He made himself stronger and faster.

He raised his average from 2.6 points to over 20.

Now, at 34, he was a veteran covered in injuries.

It was almost certain that this was the closest he would ever come to winning a championship.

If he didn't seize this chance, he might never get another shot at one.

And as for riding someone else's coattails to get a ring?

Jimmy Butler wasn't that kind of person.

So in the previous game, Doug Lambier had saved his chance at a championship—and the dream he'd pursued for 13 years.

Doug's methods might not have been honorable.

But Butler had to admit he was grateful to him.

So during practice, he went to the weight room and sought Doug out.

"Doug, you need to join the team for practice today."

The team's leader