The Miami Heat’s first-round win over the Milwaukee Bucks had Jimmy Butler written all over it. There have been incredible individual performances in the 2023 NBA Playoffs from Stephen Curry, De’Aaron Fox, Devin Booker, and LeBron James. However, none compare to Butler, and in his podcast, Paul George echoed similar sentiments.
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An eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the top-seeded Bucks in five games of the Eastern Conference matchup. The Bucks were considered favorites to win it all this year but were left shell-shocked by the dominance displayed by Jimmy. Though Giannis Antetokounmpo missed two games due to injury, the Bucks had a lot of depth in their lineup.
Paul George considers Jimmy Butler the best playoffs player
Recently, in his podcast ‘Podcast P with Paul George’, the Los Angeles Clippers forward talked about Jimmy Butler and his performance in the Playoffs. George believes the Miami Heat forward is the best player in the 2023 Playoffs. Here is what he said:
“Jimmy is a dog. He has shown it. He is tough. He is gonna talk his talk and he is gonna back it up. That’s the thing about Jimmy, you don’t let him talk his sh-t. Because he is going to feed into that, he is going to buy into the sh-t he is saying and there is no turning back. I applaud Jimmy, he is great and he is looking like the best player in the playoffs.”
Paul appreciated the series win and Butler’s passion for the game. He believes the addition of Kevin Love to the team, with existing talent like Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry played a role in the win, but it all started with Butler’s commitment and belief.
Butler averaged a remarkable 37.6 PPG in the series while shooting 59.7% from the field. A Miami team that looked average the entire season was hit with multiple injuries and lacked depth in the lineup. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to state that Jimmy willed them to the next round single-handedly.
Jimmy Butler’s injury and the series with the New York Knicks
The Miami Heat face the New York Knicks in the semi-finals matchup of the 2023 Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Heat took Game One of the series at Madison Square Garden, much to the dismay of the New York fans. Butler emerged as the leading scorer for Miami at 25 points.
However, in the fourth quarter of the game, Josh Hart stepped on Jimmy’s ankle when the Heat forward was driving to the basket. Though he remained on the floor after getting treatment, the discomfort was visible.
Butler missed Game 2 of the series and will be re-evaluated for Game Three in Miami. It was a huge blow for Miami, who lost the game 111-105 on Tuesday. They solely depend on Jimmy’s prowess for a deep run in the playoffs.
