Jimmy Butler’s Miami Heat would be 4th in the East if the playoffs started today. More interesting, T.J. Warren and the Indiana Pacers would be their opponents.
The Miami Heat were having one heck of a year before the season was suspended. On the backs of their splendid home record, one of the best in the entire NBA, they were not only one of the best teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference but in the entire league.
While they took part in many interesting games before the hiatus came about, there were none more interesting than the one that occurred on January 8th of this year. It was a 122-108 affair in the Miami Heat’s favor that not only saw the Heat flare-up as a unit, but one that saw individual members of each team do the same at each other.
The blown kiss heard around the world of sports, Jimmy Butler would put an exclamation mark on an incident between he and T.J. Warren of the Indiana Pacers by blowing a kiss in the direction of the Indiana forward from North Carolina State. It was a dustup of the more entertaining fashion but placed extra meaning on future matchups between the two rival teams and players.
Fast forward to the month of March, two months or so after the initial incident between Butler and Warren. The Miami Heat were steadily inching closer to what was sure to be a very entertaining meeting between the two clubs, especially considering all of the social media activities following the first game. Then it happened.
On March 11th, the Miami Heat and a slew of other teams would play their final games before the league suspended all play due to the coronavirus pandemic. First off, this was most certainly the right move by the league, as the safety of all involved is always going to be the first priority in any walk of life. Secondly and sadly though, this was mere days before the Miami Heat were set to face the Indiana Pacers again, on March 20th.
Well, have no fear Miami Heat fans. Details are starting to emerge about the potential return of the NBA and we can hardly wait.
With that news though, it begins one to think. Will they finish the regular season or will they jump right into the playoffs? That is a good question.
A good question indeed, I can almost guarantee you though, that there is at least one person who hopes that the NBA season jumps right into the NBA playoffs. That person would be Jimmy Butler. Why is this so, might you ask?
We are glad you asked. If the NBA playoffs were to start today, the fourth-seeded Miami Heat would face off against the fifth seeded Indiana Pacers. Yes indeed, it is true.
Jimmy Butler would not only get his next opportunity to give T.J. Warren work, but he would get to do it on the biggest stage, in the most pressurized moments, where a chance to advance and continue fighting for the NBA title is on the line. That’s a Jimmy Butler type of moment if there ever was one.
Again, we all hope that the season returns soon and many of us don’t even care which part they start at, as long as they resume. This though, is why Jimmy Butler probably wishes that they would start right at the playoffs as they pick the season back up.