“Jimmy Butler And Co. Are Playing With Fire!”: Skip Bayless Resonates With Jaylen Brown’s Warning As Celtics Avoid Sweep, Beat Heat In Game 4

Advait Jajodia | 24/05/2023
“Jimmy Butler And Co. Are Playing With Fire!": Skip Bayless Resonates With Jaylen Brown's Warning As Celtics Avoid Sweep, Beat Heat In Game 4

Throughout this postseason run, the Miami Heat have barely made any mistakes. Even in the Eastern Conference Finals overall, Jimmy Butler and co. have played terrific basketball. However, the performance we saw in Game 4 of the series was one of their worst outings as a unit. Even Butler, who has been on a tear, couldn’t find his rhythm in the 2nd half. The combined result of both? A resounding 116-99 win for the Celtics. After the game, resonating with Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart’s “don’t let us get one” comments, Skip Bayless believes that Joe Mazzulla’s boys can now pull off the improbable comeback.

After recording 31 turnovers in the first three games of the series, the Florida-based franchise turned the ball over an abysmal 16 times tonight. While Butler, Gabe Vincent, and Caleb Martin didn’t do too badly, Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson’s offensive performance tonight was well below the Heat standard. Worse, the franchise was completely exposed by Jayson Tatum on the defensive end too, leading to a very bad day at the office for this team.

What does this Game 4 breakdown lead to? Miami’s first loss at home during the 2023 Playoff.

“Jimmy Butler and co. are playing with fire”: Skip Bayless

While we have witnessed teams coming back from 3-1 deficits, no team in NBA history has managed to win the series after being down 3-0. However, after watching the Massachusetts-based franchise’s inspiring performance, Skip Bayless now has immense faith that they will achieve the unthinkable.

After the bout at Kaseya Center concluded, the Undisputed analyst predicted that Tatum and co. could go on to win the series. However, staying true to his original pick, the 71-year-old is still “Sticking” with Miami winning in 6.

I now believe this series will return to Miami for a crucial Game 6 … with Game 7 (and potential history) in Boston. I predicted Miami in 6 so I will stick with this. But Jimmy and Co. are now playing with fire – the fire the Celtics have re-caught.

Prior to Game 4, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown delivered a stern warning to Jimmy Butler and the team. Stating that the reigning Eastern Conference champs had nothing to lose, the duo boldly stated:

“Don’t let us get one.”

Yes, the Game 4 victory was a dominant one for the Cs. However, it is still highly unlikely that they clinch a berth in the NBA Finals.

Was a sweep too good to be true for the Heat?

The Boston Celtics have saved some face after avoiding a 4-0 exit. However, the Heat couldn’t have possibly entered the game expecting this Boston unit to raise the white flag.

The last time a Boston team suffered a sweep in the playoffs was 15 years ago. Further, in the current JB-JT era, the Celtics have never been swept. They have also not avoided losing 4 games in a row since the end of the 2020-2021 season.

So, suffice it to say, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat should have come into their building expecting a war instead of a smooth victory.

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
boston celtics Jimmy Butler Miami Heat Skip Bayless

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Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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