The Miami Heat can close out their second-round NBA Playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. Coming off a Game 5 performance that, not only, saw them get back to themselves on the offensive end, they would play some of the most complete defense that they have all series.
Making some shots, which contributed to the overall fluidity of the offense, they would also hold every player on the 76ers squad to below 20 points, including Joel Embiid and James Harden. Harden would finish with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Embiid would close the game with 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
The man leading the Miami Heat though was Jimmy Butler, of course. Finishing the game with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six helpers, Jimmy would continue to do what he’s done all playoffs and in the previous two games, specifically.
Scoring a total of 73 points in the previous two contests, Game 3 and Game 4 defeats, the Miami Heat’s best player would still do it all for his team, nearly approaching triple-double territory in their blowing out of the 76ers on Tuesday.
The Miami Heat go as Jimmy Butler does, he’s their best player. When he’s “stupidly locked in” like he is now though, they can certainly all go far.
When Jimmy Butler is playing as he has been in these playoffs, he’s a different breed.
It’s really just that simple and it isn’t hard to notice. Not that you could tell by the next guy’s opinion, as he sees him every single day, Miami Heat head coach, Erik Spoelstra, knows just how different and special Jimmy Butler is and has been.
"“He’s a great competitor at his core,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler, who had a team-high 23 points Tuesday and held the Sixers to seven points on 2-of-8 shooting when he was the primary defender.“When you get into a competition, he understands the full deal — that you have to do it on both ends. And he’s able to compete with a ferocity and an incredibly stable mind. That is really unique — when it gets the craziest is when he’s really locked in on making sure that it’s solid winning basketball for our team.”"
Jimmy is known for being “stupidly locked in”. It appears he’s been just that.
And almost quoted to those very words, his head coach knows too. The Miami Heat are going to keep needing him to be that in Game 6 against Philadelphia and beyond.
The Miami Heat would be wise to go ahead and end things in Philly, to allow themselves a chance to rest up for a deeper title run. Because if Jimmy Butler keeps on playing the way he has been and the way you know that he can, the Miami Heat shoudl definitely have a shot to make one.