Jimmy Butler single-handedly willed the 8th seed, Miami Heat to an astounding victory over the 1st seed, Milwaukee Bucks.
The 2022-2023 NBA playoffs are well underway, with intense, exciting first round match ups such as Sacramento and Golden State, currently locked at 2-2, and with tonight feeling as though the playoffs have fully ignited. Jimmy Butler has single-handedly willed the 8th seed,
Miami Heat to an astounding victory over the 1st seed, Milwaukee Bucks.
Jimmy, nicknamed "Jimmy Buckets" because of his sensational ability to elevate his game in the playoffs, scored a massive 56 points.
It was one of the most phenomenal performances I personally witnessed in playoff history, which inspired me to write this piece tonight.
But just when you thought the night could not get any better, as usual, the NBA playoffs proved to be the gift that keeps on giving, with LeBron James amasseing an incredulous 22 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the first Laker to do so since Shaquille O'Neal in 2004. On a night where history was made with a world class, transcendent production by Butler and James, this year's NBA playoffs is shaping up as one to remember.
Let's recap the night and just what these performances may mean for the remainder of the season...
We start in Miami, where the Bucks were rejoined by two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo who missed the first three games due a back injury sustained in the early stages of game one. (And yes, I had to google his name to remind myself how to spell it). The Bucks came into the game as an overwhelming -7.5 favorite by the sports-books. Miami were also at a disadvantage having already lost Tyler Herro (3rd leading scorer) and valuable bench guy Victor Oladipo to significant injuries. The Bucks came out the gates swiftly as they were already 2-1 down in the series and were desperate to not fall to a 3-1 deficit. Jimmy "Buckets" was ready though, as he dropped 22 of Miami's 28 points in the first quarter. Milwaukee headed into the 4th quarter leading 89-78 and seemingly in control.
But then came Jimmy...
This incredible sequence, where Butler went full takeover mode, was truly jaw dropping. It was a privilege to witness such a performance. He sent the Bucks into complete shock. Unable to run good sets, Giannis driving head first to the basket seemed to be the only viable option. From this moment the game was over. The Heat took a strong 3-1 lead in the series as it head back to Milwaukee.
Due to Jimmy's heroics the Heat will now fancy their chances to steal an unimaginable series victory against the 1-seeded Bucks as the last seed in the East. Jimmy's performance definitely will withstand the test of time. To gauge the full scope of this performance, here are some stats to illustrate just how highly this performance ranks all-time.
According to Shot Quality, a site that tracks the expected value of total team shots taken, The Heat were supposed to lose this game by 16 points!
Jimmy really asserted his dominance on this game.
< Jimmy Butler standing amongst Legends; Jordan, Baylor and Mitchell....
If anyone ever questions his nickname Jimmy Buckets, imma just leave this right here >
And Breathe.
After such an outstanding performance by one superstar, one would think that this would have sufficed NBA entertainment for the night. But, the the Grizzlies and the Lakers had other ideas...
The Lakers headed into this one up 2-1 and the Grizzlies were desperate to get back to Memphis at 2 a piece.
As if this series did not have enough drama:
1. With Dillon Brooks referring to LeBron James as old;
2. The Shannon Sharpe Incident (earlier in the regular season) where Sharpe and Ja Morant's father got into an altercation at a game;
3. And the sheer intensity of the playoffs itself!
Tonight definitely proved to be a battle.
Desmond Bane handed the Grizzlies a two point lead with just 6.7 seconds left. This was too much time for the King though. LeBron bullied his way to the basket sending the game into overtime.
King James grabbed his 20th rebound of the night, a feat not achieved by any other Laker while also having 20+ points since 2004.
He's also seemed to gain the last laugh over Dillon Brooks after blowing past him and gaining an 'And One'. It was a spectacular performance from LeBron as he did not have much help from his co-star Anthony Davis who scored a woeful 12 points.
LeBron and the Lakers now seem to be on a collision course to meet with Steph Curry and the Warriors who are tied with the Kings, who just lost D'Aaron Fox due to a finger injury.
This just shows that there is much more in store for us as fans, as we head deeper into the post-season...
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