Jimmy Butler was dismissed by many despite his stellar performance in the Bubble getting the Heat to the NBA Finals after the Miami Heat were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks last season. However, he’s reached the Eastern Conference Finals again this season, performing at an incredible level on both ends of the court. And he backed it up again in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, dropping 41 points to go along with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.
Butler is now getting the recognition he deserves, with Skip Bayless declaring him the best player left in the playoffs even before his Game 1 performance. And he’s now getting all the plaudits that he deserves, with Jay Williams going as far as to compare Jimmy to Michael Jordan. And the amazing thing is that this isn’t even so much an opinion as much as it’s based on statistics:
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“So Jimmy Butler’s name belongs in the same breath with Michael Jordan, crazy right as the only players in a single postseason averaging 28 PPG, 5 assists, 2 steals on 50 plus percent shooting from the field. I just want you to think about that for a second, Key.”
“We just said Jimmy Butler’s name in the same breath with MJ for what this dude is doing in the postseason.”
Butler will have to continue performing at this level, considering that he is responsible for a lot of the Miami Heat’s offense. The Celtics should get both Marcus Smart and Al Horford back at some point, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will also go to the next level in a few games.
Butler is not one to pay too much attention to what is being said about him, at least he’s not likely to let it affect his game. When Jimmy locks in, it’s hard for any team to stop him and if he truly wants the MJ comparison to hold, he’ll have to keep this going and lead this Heat team to the championship.
