Jimmy Butler finally enjoyed a playoff sweep.
Butler’s first post-season streak with the Miami Heat was like no other in his career: a 4-0 win. The Heat are ready for the Eastern Conference semi-finals for the first time since 2016, after ousting the Indiana Pacers in their first round.
“Just another way to move forward,” Butler said. “As long as we get to four, I don’t care if it was race 7. As long as we advance and move on to the next round, I’m happy. But I’m glad I had my first crawl with this group of guys. I think it’s special.”
Butler had been in 10 playoff series before with Chicago, Minnesota and Philadelphia. Those teams only won three of those fights, never making it through the second round. This is what helped pave the way for Butler to find a new home in 2019 when he traveled to Miami to continue chasing a title.
So far, so good. Fifth-seeded Heat controlled the streak against fourth-seeded Pacers, trailing a total of 11 seconds after half-time in the four games combined.
And they carried out the sweep with balance. The Heat had five players – Goran Dragic (22.8), Butler (19.8), Tyler Herro (16.5), Bam Adebayo (15.0) and Duncan Robinson (12.5) – double-digit average in the scoring in the series and Jae Crowder was a point away from joining them.
basketball should be played. You should have fun. You should enjoy the game. You can see that in how we play.''" data-reactid="22">“We love it when other guys are successful,” Butler said. ” We exalt them. We tell them to keep attacking. If you are making stops, keep making stops. This is how basketball should be played. You should have fun. You should enjoy the game. You can see it from how we play. ”
What they will enjoy for a few days – and what Butler, who played with a sick shoulder on Monday, needs – is a well-deserved rest.
The first Miami he will play again is Friday. The Heat will meet the winner of the Milwaukee-Orlando series in the eastern semifinals; the Bucks lead the matchup in the first round 3-1, with Game 5 potentially decisive for Wednesday.
“It’s important to any team, but we have some veteran guys and they’re professionals so they know how to take care of themselves, but yeah, it could take a couple of days,” said Heat manager Erik Spoelstra.
NBA champion Toronto starts Thursday." data-reactid="26">The other Eastern semi-final series between Boston and reigning NBA champion Toronto begins Thursday.
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NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports" data-reactid="28">More NBA APs: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
