Jimmy Butler is just about ready to make his move. During the regular season, Butler is just a guy, content to go out on the court and help his team attempt to win games. But once the postseason begins — a little over a month from now — Butler transforms into a player who seems unstoppable.
Call him a beast, Superman or the best basketball player in the world — that’s what Butler becomes when the NBA’s games move into the second season.
To this point in the year, Butler and the Miami Heat have not been overly impressive. They are sitting in 8th place in the Eastern Conference with a 33-26 record. As a result, they would be in the play-in portion of the postseason. However, they recently went 5-1 through a tough 6-game road trip and it appears that both the Heat and their star are beginning to find their stride.
The dynamic player recently explained what pushes him in the most important part of the year.
“Whatever y’all want to call it, ‘Playoff Jimmy,’ or ‘that crazy motherf–ker Emo Jimmy,’ I don’t care,” Butler said. “We’re good, man. I just wanna get into the playoffs. That’s it. We get into the playoffs, then we and I can take care of a lot. But I think us as a group, we’re going to be just fine.”
Jimmy Butler is averaging 21.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, so it’s not like he doesn’t care about regular-season games. He is connecting on 50.1 percent of his shots from the field and 44 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
But it’s a different story in the playoffs. “You mean how can I turn into the greatest basketball player in the world all of a sudden? I don’t know, man.”
About the Author
Steve Silverman has been covering the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly, and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s Better, Who’s Best in the NFL.” He has won multiple awards from the Pro Football Writers of America.
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