The recreation? Arguably by no means higher. The hair? A piece in progress.
In a typical season, Jimmy Butler may not be paying consideration a lot to both at this stage of the calendar.
But this isn’t a typical season for the Miami Heat since Butler’s 2019 arrival, mired in a slog of a battle for playoff seeding.
So there was a well-known look to the play for the reason that All-Star break, one thing nearer to Playoff Jimmy.
“It’s not a real thing,” Butler mentioned of the notion of Playoff Jimmy.
His statistics within the postseason, save for that uneven run within the 2021 first spherical towards the Milwaukee Bucks, say in any other case.
As does what he has achieved within the 11 video games for the reason that All-Star break: 26.1 factors per recreation on .603 taking pictures from the sector. .851 taking pictures from the road, .500 taking pictures on 3-pointers, with 6.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per recreation, main the Heat in all these classes apart from rebounding, the place he’s tied for second.
“It’s the epitome of efficiency,” coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned, with the Heat shifting their focus to Wednesday night time’s go to by the Memphis Grizzlies that closes the two-game homestand that opened with Monday night time’s 119-115 victory over the Utah Jazz.
“Players coming in should study Jimmy Butler. You don’t need to be a volume shooter. You don’t need to have the ball in your hands all the time to be able to impose your will offensively. He just is a really smart basketball player, and he knows how to win games, particularly when games are competitive and close.”
Monday was one other case of seizing a second, a second that had Spoelstra providing a comparability to at least Dwyane Wade.
That was when, with the Heat down two with 3:34 to play, Butler drained a go-ahead 3-pointer simply eight seconds into the shot clock, as former Heat teammate Kelly Olynyk backed off defensively.
“It’s very similar to Dwyane,” Spoelstra mentioned. “Percentages exit the window. If you’re going to present him an open shot to go for a kill, these guys are killers. They’re going to make you pay for that. And that has nothing to do with the odds. That has to do with the aggressive will.
“We don’t do it very often, but when he shoots that shot, he feels like he can compete against our stickers when we’re doing shooting drills.”
Yes, it was Butler having a second, however not essentially his most popular second.
“He does tell me to shoot more threes,” Butler mentioned of Spoelstra. “But I simply really feel like if I begin taking pictures too many threes, then there’s not sufficient paint assaults. I can shoot extra threes; I don’t need to.
“I want to play bully ball. I want to run in there, run into people. I like a physical game. But every now and again, I’ll take and make threes.”
The selection and nuance of Butler’s recreation primarily has been what has held the Heat afloat throughout this 5-6 run for the reason that All-Star break, with Bam Adebayo considerably off together with his recreation, Tyler Herro up and down together with his shot and Kyle Lowry working again from a monthlong damage layoff as a result of knee ache.
“He’s the anchor,” ahead Caleb Martin mentioned. “He’s been holding it down for us. He’s put us in positions to win night in and night out. I just think that with what he brings and how he plays, he’s always going to give us an opportunity to be in a position to win games.”
All whereas trying to take care of a glance uniquely Butler.
Last week, it was one other try at beaded braids. At the beginning of Monday night time’s recreation it was twin tufts of hair prolonged upwards from braids. By the shut, it was hair gone wild, one thing resembling the aftereffects of a wind tunnel.
“Man,” Butler mentioned in the course of the hairstyle portion of his postgame media session. “My Alo beads got here out the opposite day. I used to be sick about that. So I simply mentioned, I’m going to take my hair down as a complete. Armando [Rivas, his personal trainer] purchased me a comb, in order that positively helped.
“But I wanted to take it down before the game, because my head was itching. So I just took my hair down.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com
