The Boston Celtics are facing an uphill battle in the Eastern Conference Finals, as they are now 2-0 down to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. The Celtics lost both their home games, making their quest to return to the NBA Finals very challenging. But the Celtics have been in this position before, and interestingly enough, Jimmy Butler was their opponent then as well.
Boston Celtics reporter Taylor Snow pointed out on Twitter that the last time the Celtics won a series after going down 2-0 was six years ago in 2017, when the 8th-seed Chicago Bulls, led by Jimmy Butler, upset them in the first two games of the series. The Celtics are facing off against an 8th-seed team led by Jimmy Butler again and must pull off an unlikely task.
The last time the Celtics overcame a 2-0 deficit was in 2017 – against Jimmy Butler and the 8-seed Chicago Bulls. pic.twitter.com/3JGrhOdWQb
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) May 20, 2023
The Celtics actually have a few players still on the team from the 2017 series against the Bulls. Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford were part of the 2017 Celtics squad that faced off against Butler and the Bulls. So they do have the experience to shut down Jimmy Butler in this series.
But this is a very different Jimmy Butler, as he is now experienced in winning and knows what it takes to win the Eastern Conference Finals. Butler led the Heat past the Celtics in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA Bubble in his first season with the franchise. On top of that, Butler was just one shot away from doing the same again in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics.
Can The Celtics Stop Jimmy Butler Again?
The Celtics must make some changes going into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. Having lost both their home games, it is crucial that Boston go to Miami and win at least one of the games there to give themselves a chance in these playoff series. After Game 2, Jayson Tatum seemed to be optimistic that the Celtics could turn things around and come back in the series.
Unlike 2017, the Celtics have a big weapon in their favor – Jayson Tatum. Tatum has established himself as one of the best players in the NBA today and has shown in this playoff run that he can help his team win. With Tatum putting on the highest-scoring Game 7 performance in NBA history in the previous series, There is no reason to think that he isn’t capable of doing the same for the Celtics against the Heat.
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