Tonight (4/26), the 8th-seeded Miami Heat have a golden opportunity to do the (seemingly) impossible: defeat the mighty (top-seeded) Milwaukee Bucks in just 5 games of their Opening Round matchup.
But first, let’s revisit Jimmy Butler’s masterful, Game 4 performance that put them in such an enviable position.
After ascending to an All-Star in Chicago, Jimmy Butler’s always been a #1 guy, the kind of superstar you want to build around but often underestimate at the same time.
Miami definitely realizes the talent at hand but sometimes, it seems, the rest of the league (and select fans) forget just exactly how influential Butler is on winning basketball. I get it, he doesn’t play at the “same level” in the regular season - I’d counter with not only does he conserve energy for the long run (MIA asks A LOT from Butler on a regular basis), he took a step back in 2022-23 so teammates like Bam Adebayo & Tyler Herro could elevate their own games.
So by the time the postseason rolls around, Butler is able to instantly ramp up his play and match ANY superstar in the NBA. Butler will tell you himself that he’s “not a scorer” (which isn’t true) but offensively, he dominates matchups using his size, patience, ability to get to the free throw line & skill at finding sweet spots to exploit the defense.
Going off for the fourth-highest point total in playoff history is no coincidence - Milwaukee’s defense had no answer for Butler: whether it was two-way All-Star Jrue Holiday or Khris Middleton checking him, Butler was able to completely impose his will all night long.
He scored 22 points on 90% shooting in the first quarter, then cooled off with just 2 points in the second quarter. But with Miami down 101-89 with just over 4 minutes to go, Butler unleashed an insane scoring run (scored 21! in the final period) that saw him end up with both his personal career-high in points AND Miami’s franchise record for most points in a playoff game.
56 points on 19/28 shooting. That’s an unreal efficiency and, quite frankly, an all-time performance, especially considering the time & score late in the fourth quarter, the opponent (58-win, top-seeded Bucks), and the magnitude of the game (Miami took a 3-1 lead, now has THREE more chances to send Milwaukee home prematurely).
Let’s appreciate the level at which Butler can elevate himself. At the same time, though, it’s time to acknowledge that this is who he is.
With a Finals appearance in 2020, a missed game-winner from another appearance in 2022 & one win away from upsetting the heavily-favored Bucks, “Jimmy Buckets” is the definition of a #1, franchise talent.