The Miami Heat, led by Jimmy Butler, managed to secure a second-round matchup against the New York Knicks by defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in a thrilling game on Wednesday night. Butler once again showed his prowess by helping his team overcome an 18-point deficit, scoring 14 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-tying layup as time expired.
During the game, Butler got into a verbal exchange with Jrue Holiday after hitting an easy layup, where he told the Bucks’ defensive stopper, “I own you.” After a while Holiday responded by saying- “start playing and say something.” To which Butler responded by “I got 38 points. On your head”.
Here is the full exchange between Jrue Holiday and Jimmy Butler at the end of the fourth quarter transcribed.
📺https://t.co/NTsdT1frD1 pic.twitter.com/qizkTDWNnD
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 27, 2023
After the end of the game a fan took to twitter, saying “I’ve never seen someone cook Jrue Holiday the way Jimmy Butler has this series”
The matchup tracking data on NBA.com shows that Holiday was the primary defender on Butler for 55.9 partial possessions, allowing him to score 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Furthermore, the Heat scored 64 points while Holiday was covering Butler.
“On your head.”
He was likely pointing to his stats on the jumbotron too.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 27, 2023
Butler’s game-tying layup will go down as one of the iconic moments in Heat’s playoff history. He explained his conversation with head coach Erik Spoelstra prior to the final play, saying, “You could just tell the entire series, for that matter, that Jrue wasn’t taking a body off of me. He wasn’t going to shoot the gap. He wasn’t going to do any of that. So I said, ‘I guarantee whenever I turn this corner, he’s going to be locking and trailing. He has no choice other than to be behind [me].'”
Jimmy Butler was TALKING to Jrue Holiday last night even when they were down
Must’ve said “on his head” 50 times in the 4th lol
Then after saying it this time
Here’s what he did the very next play: pic.twitter.com/w8kHSI7KDl
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) April 27, 2023
Spoelstra trusted Butler’s instincts and gave him the green light, saying, “Go ahead man, take us home.” Butler’s performance wasn’t a fluke, as he had also dominated Holiday in Game 4, scoring 56 points, the fourth-most points in a single playoff game in NBA history.
Butler’s confidence and dominance on the court make him a valuable asset to the Heat as they head into the next round of the playoffs.
I’ve never seen someone cook Jrue Holiday the way Jimmy Butler has this series
— Silas P. Silas (@KennySpenceNBA) April 27, 2023
Jimmy Butler leads Miami Heat to stunning upset over Milwaukee Bucks in NBA Playoffs
Jimmy Butler led the Miami Heat to a stunning upset over the best team in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks, in just five games. In Game 5, Butler scored 42 points, including a game-tying layup as time expired to force overtime. Though he was scoreless in overtime, Miami had enough momentum to secure the win, 128-126.
The Bucks had a chance to force a second overtime, but a series of mistakes led to a turnover and a Heat victory. Butler’s outstanding performance was a key factor in the Heat’s success, as he was nearly unstoppable throughout the series.
The Heat’s victory over the Bucks was a huge upset, but it was not entirely unexpected. The Bucks failed to make any adjustments in the last two games, which they could have easily won. Butler’s exceptional play, combined with the Heat’s momentum and the Bucks’ inability to adapt, sealed the win for Miami.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0Au8I9GLBo
Butler and the Heat now face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. With Butler playing the best basketball of his career, he may just be the best player in the postseason currently, and could lead the Heat to another upset victory.
