The case for 'Playoff Jimmy' as best player in the Eastern Conference
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat continued their "Cinderella" story Wednesday night, taking a 1-0 lead over the Boston Celtics and stealing home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In Game 1, Butler dropped 35 points, seven assists, five rebounds and made six steals. He also had the dagger three at the end of the fourth, putting the little kids in Boston to sleep.
It was Butler's second playoff game of at least 35 points, five assists, five rebounds and five steals, joining Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson as the only players in NBA history to have at least two such games in the postseason.
"I'm playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so," Butler told the media afterward about his teammates. "They are not putting a limit on my game. They are trusting me with the ball, on the defensive end. I think that's what any basketball player wants."
It's unfair to solely judge Butler based on his regular-season performances. In the playoffs, he ascends to another stratosphere.
In the regular season of his career, Butler averages 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists and shoots 53.9 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc.
In the playoffs, "Playoff Jimmy" takes center stage. This postseason, he is averaging 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals. He is shooting 52.2 percent from the floor and 37.5 from three and averages 2.1 steals.
Among Eastern Conference players this postseason, Butler is the leader in points per game. Only Western Conference stars Devin Booker of the Suns (33.7) and Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves (31.6) are better.
Butler has a great case for best player in the Eastern Conference.
In Game 4 in the first round against the No. 1-seeded Bucks, he scored 56 points on 19-for-28 shooting from the field and grabbed nine rebounds. That performance essentially sealed the fate of Milwaukee and its star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, pushing them down 3-1.
Butler can do everything on the floor. He's an outstanding offensive facilitator, scorer and a top-tier defender. Off the court, he is one of the more respected locker-room leaders in the game.
"You can't quantify it. There's no analytic to it. Just the feeling of stability in the locker room ... There's just a settling effect that's impossible to quantify," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told the media about Butler after Game 1.
Miami is vying to become the first eighth-seeded team since the 1999 New York Knicks to make the NBA Finals. With "Playoff Jimmy" rocking, don't bet against the Heat.
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