Jimmy Butler, from the impossible shot to another consecration performance with the Heat to eliminate the Bucks

Jimmy Butler became this Wednesday the player of the Miami Heat with more games over forty points in the ‘playoffs’ and confirmed himself as one of the best leaders in the NBA. He overwhelmed with 42 points the Milwaukee Bucks and sealed the first round series 4-1 against the top seeds in the East and the team with the best record in the league in the regular season.

He turned in a monumental performance at the Fiserv Forum just two days after leading an epic comeback in Game 4, when he scored 19 of his 56 points in the final five minutes to give the Heat the victory.

He did it again in Milwaukee, when his Heat they were losing by 16 points early in the fourth quarter and bailed them out with a tremendous acrobatic play with 0.5 seconds left to force overtime.

“I always remember why I do what I do. For my family, my teammates, I know that if I compete at a high level in every play they have to follow me,” Butler said at the post-game press conference, explaining how he faces their matches.

“We know what we are, we don’t pay attention to external noise. We will face the next series like we did this one,” he added.

He delivered a monumental performance against the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpoone of the favorites to win the MVP for the best player of the regular season, whose 38 points and twenty rebounds could not be avoided the loss of the bucks.

In the past two postseason games, Butler has scored 98 for the Heat, numbers recorded by only six other players in NBA history.

Butler sat at the legends table as Michael Jordanwho scored a total of 112 points in two consecutive ‘playoff’ games, Jerry West (101), Elgin Baylor (99) o Wilt Chamberlain (95), according to official NBA data.

“We were always close,” Butler said after the Milwaukee game.

“My teammates are the ones who make me unstoppable. They need me to be like this, it can be 40 points, it can be 50, it can be 0 with 12 assists, I have to be prepared for everything,” he added.

At Butler’s pace, the Heat became the sixth franchise capable of eliminating the first seed from the playoffs. being the eighth seed.

It had been eleven years since a feat of this kind had been accomplished. The last to do so were the Philadelphia 76ers against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2012 playoffs.

In addition, no team had managed to advance in a round of ‘playoffs’ after going through the ‘play-in’. The Heat needed two play-in games to qualify, losing to the Atlanta Hawks and coming back to beat the Chicago Bulls.

The Heat now have a series against the New York Knicks, who eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be a cross between historic franchises, but Butler stressed that he doesn’t look at the rival, but at himself.

“I don’t care who we play. We only have to win four games,” Butler said.

Source: EFE

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