Jimmy Butler made history in Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks, as he erupted for a franchise playoff record 56 points in a 119-114 win for the Miami Heat.
It was yet another incredible playoff performance from Butler for the Heat and after the game, Charles Barkley ranked him as one of the three greatest players in franchise history, even over LeBron James.
“Jimmy Butler joins Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade as the greatest Heat players ever,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA.
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Butler certainly has made his mark on the franchise since joining in 2019. He has averaged 21.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.9 APG, and 1.8 SPG and led the team to the NBA Finals in 2020. He nearly took them back there last year too, but the Heat lost in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games to the Boston Celtics. It is indeed quite impressive what Butler has achieved with the Heat but there’s no denying that LeBron would still rank higher than him.
In his four seasons with the Heat, James led the franchise to the NBA Finals every single year, winning two titles and two Finals MVPs. He also won two MVPs and finished runner-up for DPOY once. LeBron would finish his Heat tenure with averages of 26.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 6.7 APG, and 1.7 SPG. It is easy to be a prisoner of the moment and think that Butler ranks higher than James on the Heat’s all-time list, but he really doesn’t. Butler would rank very highly though and you can check out where we place him on the all-time GOAT pyramid for the Heat.
Charles Barkley Was In Awe Of Jimmy Butler’s Incredible Performance
Barkley, just like everyone else who was watching, was highly impressed by Butler’s heroics. He went so far as to say that Butler had the greatest playoff performance he has seen since he’s been on television, surpassing LeBron’s display in Game 5 against the Detroit Pistons in 2007.
Butler’s 56 points are tied for the fourth-most in playoff history and while doing it in the first round may not be as impressive as doing it deeper in the playoffs, it is still quite remarkable. He has now given the Heat a 3-1 lead but the job isn’t done by any means. It might, in fact, take another superhuman effort from Butler to advance to the next round.
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