The Miami Heat have a tough mission in front of them, and they’ll need Jimmy Butler to be at his absolute best to get it done.
Butler is the heart and soul of this Heat team, and they can only go as far as he can lead them when they hit the road for Game 7.
The stakes have never been higher for him, and former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins recently explained why.
In his latest appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, Perkins explained that a loss would hurt Butler’s legacy more than Jayson Tatum’s, and it wouldn’t be just because of the fact that they were up 3-0 in this series.
"I believe [Jimmy Butler's] legacy will be hurt more by this loss than Jayson Tatum… If he can win this Game 7 and get to the Finals, I think he will cement his legacy as far as a Hall of Fame player."
— @KendrickPerkinspic.twitter.com/O1gBwV8O1v
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 29, 2023
Perkins cites that Butler is getting older and that this could be his best and final shot at winning an NBA championship, whereas Tatum will have more chances down the road.
Moreover, Perkins states that Butler is making a case for being a Hall of Famer, and that case could be cemented with another trip to the NBA Finals.
His career numbers aren’t that impressive, but he’s got a reputation for taking his game up a notch in the playoffs, and he did lead the Heat to the Finals just a couple of years ago.
That being said, this would be an even bigger accomplishment, all things considered, given the shortage of talent around him and the fact that the Heat were the No. 8 seed.
But as good as they were and as dominant he’s been, it may all mean nothing if they don’t get the job done tonight.
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