Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has a well earned and documented reputation as a prime-time performer in the National Basketball Association playoffs.
What “Playoff Jimmy” pulled off in the last week goes well above and beyond the call of duty as he led the No. 8 seeded Heat to a stunning victory over the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. In the final two games of the series, Butler scored a remarkable 98 points while rallying the Heat from fourth quarter, double-digit comebacks in consecutive games.
Butler scored 42 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Miami’s 128-126 overtime victory at Milwaukee on Wednesday night to close out the best of seven series in five games. For the second consecutive game, Butler spearheaded a dramatic fourth quarter rally to lead the Heat to the victory. Miami trailed by 16 points going into the fourth quarter before Butler went to work to lead a rally that culminated in his improbable off-balance layup with 0.5 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
On Monday night, Butler had a performance of the ages when he scored 56 points in the Heat’s stunning 119-114 victory in Game 4 in Miami. Butler scored 22 points in the fourth quarter as he rallied the Heat from a 12 points deficit in the last six minutes to give Miami a 3-1 lead in the series.
Butler was spectacular for the entire five-game series as he averaged 37.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 59 percent from the floor and 44 percent from 3-point range.
The Miami Heat will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals with Game 1 set for Sunday in New York at Madison Square Garden.
