Miami – The vision of Jimmy Butler, who fell over the main barricade, during the NBA finals in 2020 in the balloon in Orlando is painted in the tapestry of the collective consciousness of the league. In this series, the Miami Heat star faced LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring a triple-double with 35 and 40 points, as he pushed LA to the edge.
Butler, who scored the best career playoffs with 45 points in Heath’s 115-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday to raise 2-0 in their first-round streak, has changed, he said, after this defining cycle.
“I’m a different player now than I was then,” Butler said after personally increasing the 7-0 series in the weakened minutes of the fourth quarter of Game 2 to increase Miami’s lead from three to 10 to secure victory. “I just always want to play basketball the right way and do whatever it takes to help this team win this organization. That’s why they brought me here.”
After Butler joined Heath as a free agent in 2019, he led the team to two wins in the Balloon League title, but then Miami bowed to eventual Milwaukee Bucks champion in the first round last year.
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His transformation was sparked by the addition of Kyle Lowry, who brought with him the championship experience when he left the Toronto Raptors to sign with Heath last summer.
“I’m not as dominant in the ball as I was in the balloon,” Butler said. “We have a point guard and this is Kyle, and I love that it’s points.
“I just have to go out there and try to score. And if I can’t score, I pass the ball. We’re a different team, I’m a different player.”
Butler was also a different player on Tuesday than he was in the regular season, shooting just 23.3 percent with 3 points. Butler went 4-for-7 from deep in Game 2, while Atlanta scorer Trey Young shot 2-for-10 in 3s, making his overall run just 2-for-17.
Miami coach Eric Spoelstra said Butler’s sudden explosion from the outside reminded him of the only player other than James in the team’s history to match Butler’s three 40-point playoff games for the franchise: Dwayne Wade.
“Actually, it’s a good comparison, because if you get into these tense moments and moments of truth, if you’re on the other side, would you ever want to just give Dwayne Wade an open 3? You wouldn’t want to,” Spoelstra said. “Because he is a murderer. He will take advantage of this moment. Jimmy has many of the same qualities. You can say any percentage – throw them away when it comes to winning. He will find a way to kill you. “
Only he will do it in his own way. On Tuesday afternoon, Butler spent time leading up to the signal, sharing in his Instagram story that he listened to “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys and played the Spades card game.
“They also wagged their tails,” Butler said of the card game. “I’m a big fan of the Backstreet Boys and I just love competing in everything.”
Lowry said Butler’s fun-loving ways are only part of the equation.
“I think you have to have this dark side and some kind of behavior to make other people better,” he told Butler. “But you also have to have the talent and work ethic to do it. You can talk about it, but if you’re not about it and you’re not showing it, that’s the difference. And he’s showing it.”
Butler finished 15-25 on the pitch in Game 2 – joining Wade and James as the only Heat players with so many shots in a playoff game – and was 11-12 from the foul line. He had zero turnovers and zero fouls to continue with his 45 points, becoming the first player since Hawks legend Dominic Wilkins in 1988 to publish such a post-season statistic.
Butler also had two stolen thefts, one of which came from a misplaced pass by Young to give the Hawks guard 10 turns per game – a record for a rival in the Heat playoffs.
“He’s just as impressive as his attack, he did some amazing things in defense,” Spoelstra said.
The ancient butler led the Heat to the abyss of the champagne party, but failed. His coach said the player who leads the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 team this season is made to go all the way.
“Everyone is looking for the same, conventional box to win a championship. This can be done in many different ways. Jimmy is a maximum person, a loved one, a killer,” Spoelstra said. “As much as you want to describe him, who cares?” He knows how to win, he knows how to help teams win, and the game is played on both sides of the floor and played with IQ, played with toughness, played with playing games in those winning moments. It’s not necessarily what everyone thinks it is …
“He’s just a winner and he showed that tonight.”
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