After the Heat scored just 80 points in a loss to the Celtics in Game 5, 76ers star Joel Embiid took to Twitter with a pretty interesting claim.
According to the dominant big man, Miami needs another star to truly compete for a title:
Miami needs another Star
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 26, 2022
Instead of agreeing with Embiid and pushing the Heat to make another move this summer, FOX Sports analyst Skip Bayless laid into Jimmy Butler instead, who dropped just 13 points in Wednesday’s defeat:
“Joel Embiid Tweets last night, ‘the Miami Heat need another star,’” Bayless said. “Baloney they need another star! They got one, who has completely quit on them while acting like he’s still playing and that’s Jimmy Butler. And baloney they need another star. They have the freakin’ Sixth Man of the Year sitting on the bench in street clothes. He averaged 21 points a game, Tyler Herro. Nobody comes off the bench and impacts a game better than Tyler Herro! He shot 40 percent from three during the regular season and if he had been healthy last night… they win that game.”
Butler has been praised in recent weeks for elevating his play in these playoffs and lifting his team to the Conference Finals. Last week, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins even called him a “postseason superstar”:
“Postseason superstar, that’s what Jimmy Butler is. Why I say that is, he understands the assignment now. The worst thing that could have happened in the NBA was him going to the Finals two years ago, cause now he knows it’s a marathon and not a sprint. He doesn’t care about the regular season. And when I say ‘don’t care’ I mean he’s not really focused on making the All-Star team, he’s not focused on leading the league in scoring, He knows, I need my body to be fresh I need to be the best at winning when it matters the most. Then, all of a sudden, he turns it on and becomes a top 5 player in the NBA as soon as the postseason started.”
Despite the crushing loss, the season is not yet over for the Heat. On Friday, they’ll have the chance to tie the series at 3-3 and force a Game 7 on their home court.
But if they want to win two games in a row, Jimmy Butler will have to be better than he was on Wednesday night. We will see soon if he answers the call.
