With a heavily improved East, the team that was a No. 1 seed and just centimeters away from another Finals appearance last season was off to a slow start. Clearly lacking the energy and intensity that fulfilled the previous dominance.
Did Jimmy Butler’s confidence ever waver? Absolutely not.
For the second time in three seasons, the Miami Heat have dethroned the title-favored, one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Both in gentlemanly sweep fashion. Miami became the first play-in team to win a playoff series and the first 8-seed to beat a No. 1 in a long time.
Butler had some of the greatest individual performances in basketball postseason history en route to getting the job done. As he closed out the Bucks on their home floor, there was one thing he was mainly looking forward to through the few days off.
Butler’s extraordinaire 56 points in bringing Miami back down double-digits in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter were an incomparable movie. Rapidly lifting them up 3-1, he was slated for the record books. Butler tied Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Charles Barkley for the fourth-highest point total in playoff history and was just the seventh player to reach that number. His 21-point outburst in the fourth was purely unconscious, to say the least.
It Is Time To Stop Undervaluing Jimmy Butler
Analyzing and comparing his play in the regular season to his illustrious playoff display has become an annual occurrence. Especially due to how opposite they can be with Butler increasingly enhancing his game, this will set the standard in the 2020 bubble.
He informed the world of his eccentric habits and play when it comes to the game’s most crucial moments. The tremendous run came to a halt deep in the Finals for LeBron James and the Lakers.
Jimmy Butler has taken his game to the next level since the 2020 Finals.
Regular Season Averages Since ‘19-20:
21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 49.5 FG, 26.6 3pt, and 85.3 FT%
Postseason averages since ‘19-20:
25.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals, while shooting 49.6 FG, 35.3 3pt, and 82.7% FT
In these playoffs,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Hoops Habit…