Before the NBA playoffs got underway, the Miami Heat seemed like a team that would see their season come to an end in the Play-in Tournament, especially after losing to Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.
However, Erik Spoelstra’s squad was able to right the ship quickly, with Miami getting the best of the Chicago Bulls, which set up a first-round matchup with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat were major underdogs against Giannis Antetokoumpo and company, with no one expecting Miami to advance to the next round, even with the Bucks superstar dealing with a back injury.
Miami proceeded to take down Milwaukee in five games, with star forward Jimmy Butler playing some of the best basketball of his career.
That first-round upset was no fluke, with Butler leading his squad to the Eastern Conference and a 1-0 lead over the Boston Celtics, prompting the following response from teammate Kyle Lowry via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Kyle Lowry: “Jimmy is playing at a level that hasn’t been seen in a long time.”
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 18, 2023
Butler has been playing out of his mind during these NBA playoffs and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, with Miami now three wins away from making another trip to the NBA Finals.
The veteran forward is averaging 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 52.2% from the floor and 37.5% from beyond the arc.
There’s still a long way to go in the Eastern Conference Finals in order for Butler and company to punch their ticket to the Finals, but no one doubts their ability to do so, even against a very good Celtics team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
NEXT: The Heat Showed Historic Balance In Game 1 Win