Where has dominant Jimmy Butler been against Denver?

When Jimmy Butler rolled his right ankle on New York Knicks wing Josh Hart late in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, cameras caught Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra muttering, “F***.” His reaction echoed the sentiments of so many: The eighth seeds stood no chance without their best player.

Indeed, the Knicks tied the series in Butler’s absence, before he returned on five days rest for Game 3. He has averaged 40 minutes in 13 games since, ousting New York in six games, capturing MVP honors in a seven-game conference finals win over the Boston Celtics and helping the Heat return home tied 1-1 with the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. It is hard to argue Butler’s injury has hindered his team’s success.

That does not mean it will be a non-factor in what is now a best-of-five battle for the championship.

Prior to this series, Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill asked Butler last week at the annual media day for the Finals, “How is your ankle? You injured it against the Knicks and you tweaked it a little bit in Game 7. Are you 100 percent? Are you close to 100 percent? Is that a look that tells me you’re going to lie right now?”

“No, I’m not going to lie. I’m going to say nobody cares. You don’t, either,” Butler joked to Goodwill during the session. “I’m still expected to do my job at a high level if I take the floor, which I will. We’re going to be OK. We’re going to get the job done, bum ankle or not, and I’m not taking a follow-up, so don’t do that.”

There are several ways to interpret that, but “bum ankle, and I’m not taking a follow-up” sure sounds like a player known toughness conceding no excuses, even if he has played 10 of his 13 games since the sprain on one day’s rest. As Spoelstra said immediately after the injury, “You just don’t know with ankle sprains.”

Statistical evidence supports the notion that Butler is not at full strength. In a five-game, first-round victory against the Milwaukee Bucks before spraining his ankle, he averaged 37.6 points on…