Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are gearing up for an ECF rematch against the Celtics, a game the squad had circled on their calendars for a long time.
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Miami finished as the first seed last year, cruising through the Eastern Conference with one of the deepest NBA rosters. They had shooters everywhere, Jimmy Butler was a top-10 star (yes, we can definitely say that), and Tyler Herro won 6th man of the year.
All told, they were set up wonderfully for the playoffs. They cleaned up the Hawks and 76ers in 5 and 6 games respectively. However, when they ran into the Boston Celtics they faced a much bigger threat.
Boston wore the Heat down with their dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, winning a hard-fought series in 7 games. Now, Miami gets a chance to exact revenge in both teams’ second game of the year.
Is Jimmy Butler playing tonight?
In this star-studded matchup, we’ll see Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and more lock horns. The Heat superstar is expected to play in this game. Jimmy Butler will be playing this game as it stands currently. However, per the Heat’s injury report, Victor Oladipo and Ömer Yurtseven are out.
Both teams started their seasons off differently. The Celtics showed their dominance by beating the new-look Philadelphia 76ers 126-117.
Miami, however, surprisingly lost to a Bulls team without Zach Lavine or Lonzo Ball. Jimmy Butler put up 24 points, 3 assists, and 8 rebounds in the 116-108 loss.
After being tied 59-59 at the half, the Bulls pulled away in the 3rd quarter going up by 15 points at one point. The Heat clawed back a little, but they couldn’t bring it all the way back.
“They did everything right. We didn’t do too much right,” Butler explained. “We did a lot of things wrong. They pulled away and we couldn’t get the lead back.”
Now, against the Celtics, Butler will be leading a Heat team that’s hungry for a win.
Miami is ready to take on the Celtics after ECF loss
Everyone knows the stakes behind this game. Even though it’s only the second game of the season, and thus largely inconsequential, both players know how electric the atmosphere will get.
“We all went home, the bottom line,” Adebayo said earlier. “The team, the organization, the staff, we got sent home. That’s something to think about.”
Even Celtics guard Marcus Smart knows that Boston can’t take anything for granted. “We’re expecting a very pissed off Miami team tonight,” he said.
