Jimmy Butler had strung together a dominant playoff run before seeing it halted by an ankle injury. Having missed a game, the Heat superstar made a successful comeback in a Game 3 blowout win. However, Jimmy Buckets seems to still be reeling from the effects of his ankle twist.
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The Heat forward had turned in two behemoth outings to hand close wins to the Heat against Milwaukee. His 56-point output in Game 4 of that series put him in rarefied air.
Jimmy closed the series out with more astonishing play in Game 5 to seal the deal for Miami. His 42 points overshadowed Giannis’ 36 as the Heat, particularly because of Butler’s game-tying layup, followed by his play in Overtime.
He also put together a timely run of buckets against the Knicks in game 1. Unfortunately, Butler landed on Josh Hart’s foot late in the 4th quarter, causing it to buckle.
Butler handled it gingerly, staying in as a dummy for a few minutes and ensuring the dub. However, the pain caused him to miss game 2, which Miami lost at Madison Square Garden.
Jimmy Butler sends mixed signals on his Instagram story
The 33-year-old has been documenting his life on Instagram quite regularly over the years. He put up a video of his leisurely weekend rest day yesterday, in preparation for Game 4.
In one of the videos he posted, Butler showcased his characteristic braids, which he’ll probably be rocking tonight. He also appeared to be wincing from pain; the forward confessed that
“It hurts so bad, not the hair, my ankle”
His comments will definitely be concerning for Heat fans, who’re looking forward to taking a commanding 3-1 lead tonight. Even if Butler does ride through this series, he will probably need some time to be at his fittest best for the series to follow.
The Heat need Jimmy more than ever
Like a few other teams in the 2nd round, Miami has also had to deal with injuries to their players. Tyler Herro has been ruled out for over a month with a broken hand.
Victor Oladipo, meanwhile, suffered a season-ending knee injury in their Game 3 win over Milwaukee. This leaves them depending on the shooting and ball-handling of Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent for a huge chunk.
Granted, they do have Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry within their ranks. But neither of these players is capable of consistently scoring against tough playoff defense.
Miami definitely needs Jimmy to be firing on all cylinders to stand a cchance.
