It was just over a week ago that Jimmy Butler was at the top of the basketball world after the Miami Heat went up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Since then, however, he and his team have been brought back down to earth by the Boston Celtics as they tied the series at 3-3 following a thrilling win in Game 6. The teams now face off in a do-or-die Game 7 on Monday, and Kendrick Perkins believes a Heat loss would hurt Butler’s legacy more than a Celtics defeat would hurt Jayson Tatum’s.
“I gotta go with Jimmy Butler,” Perkins said on First Take when asked whose legacy would be hurt more. “And here’s why. It’s not because they were up 3-0, but I think it’s bigger than that. I believe when I look at Jimmy Butler, he’s knocking at the door of being a Hall of Famer. And I think if he just completes this mission and goes in there and have another epic performance, a Game 7 performance, and pull out a victory, it will put him in the Hall of Fame… I believe his legacy will be hurt more by this loss than Jayson Tatum because I believe Jimmy Butler is getting older and I don’t know how much time he has left to get to this point. Also, this is his golden opportunity to win the championship and I believe that window is closing as well. When it comes down to knocking at the door of being a Hall of Fame player, Jimmy Butler is right there. If he can win this Game 7 and get to the Finals, I think he will cement his legacy as far as a Hall of Fame player.”
.@KendrickPerkins believes Jimmy Butler's legacy would be hurt MORE than Jayson Tatum's with a Game 7 loss 👀 pic.twitter.com/vz5hz5KTTg
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 29, 2023
Perkins’ point here simply seems to be that Butler won’t have more opportunities to redeem himself should he lose here while Tatum can potentially still go on and win in the future. That is an interesting way to look at it, but on his other point, does Butler’s Hall of Fame case rest on him getting to the Finals here?
That is hard to say, as he is really one of those weird cases where you understand both sides of an argument in a debate on whether he is a Hall of Famer. On the one hand, he averages just 18.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 0.5 APG in the regular season, but he has had so many great playoff moments and has led a team to the NBA Finals as well. Another Finals appearance won’t necessarily make him a lock, but if he does win the title, then he will make it in.
Jimmy Butler Guaranteed The Heat Will Win Game 7
Picking yourself up after that brutal loss in Game 6 isn’t an easy task, but Butler defiantly guaranteed that his team will win Game 7. Almost no one is picking them to get the win here but that is the kind of situation where the Heat have thrived in these playoffs.
They are no longer under pressure now, as it is the Celtics who are the favorites, and Charles Barkley stated all the pressure is on them now. That could work in Miami’s favor, but it is still very hard to be optimistic about their chances here. If they are to win, Butler will have to play a lot better than he has recently, and we’ll soon find out if he has one more great game left in him.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
