This was Butler’s third 40+ point scoring performance of these playoffs after not scoring 40 or more once during the regular season. It was the sort of two-way playoffs masterpiece Butler should be known for at this point. It felt like Butler swung the game himself during Miami’s monstrous third quarter with back-to-back ‘pick six’-style steals and finishes. He did it in 41 minutes while being a game-high +25 on the night. The veteran wing finished with 41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals, and three blocks - a line that has never been seen in NBA playoffs history. The Heat finished off a 118-107 win in Game 1 behind an incredible effort from Butler. When they came out for the second half, Butler showed he had other ideas. Given the circumstances, it was easy to give Boston the early coronation so many already thought they were destined for as the teams headed into the locker room. Yet through the game’s opening half, Boston was in complete control, with Jayson Tatum’s explosive scoring outburst pacing the Celtics to an eight-point halftime lead. The Heat were the underdog coming into the series despite having home court advantage, and they couldn’t afford to drop Game 1 in Miami with the Celtics down two starters. With that opportunity came a heightened pressure. Butler’s Miami Heat were given an unexpected gift pregame when it was announced both Marcus Smart (sprained foot) and Al Horford (COVID) were set to miss the opener for Boston. And they outplayed us for one quarter.” - Boston coach Joe Mazzulla, after the Celtics gave up 46 third-quarter points and lost Game 1 of the East finals to Miami.Jimmy Butler has always needed a certain amount of tension to be at his best, and he found it in Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. “We played harder than them in the first half. The NBA started calling this round the “conference finals” in 1971. LeBron James is scheduled to play in his 66th conference finals game on Thursday night, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in NBA history. The Celtics are 10-5 in their last 15 road playoff games. Boston is now 10-11 in its last 21 home playoff games. It had happened on 18 previous occasions, including earlier this season when the Bucks had six with that many in a win over the Heat. The Heat tied an NBA record by having six players score at least 15 points in a playoff game. The two other instances of such a win: Golden State on April 23 vs. Teams were 30-2 in this year’s playoffs when winning at least three quarters - that is, before Miami lost three quarters and beat the Celtics on Wednesday night. His clubs are 13-4 in Game 2s in their last 17 games following a Game 1 loss. But since then, James seems to have figured out how to handle this spot. The first four times it happened, Cleveland lost Game 2 as well. James’ teams - Cleveland, Miami and now the Lakers - have trailed a series 1-0 on 22 different occasions. LeBron James hardly seemed worried after the Lakers lost Game 1 to Denver. Game 2 in the East title series will be played in Boston on Friday. 8 seeds in the last five seasons combined for a total of 10 wins.ĭenver will aim for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals on Thursday. (That doesn’t count Kawhi Leonard, who did it this year but appeared in only two playoff games.) The only player to do all that in a single postseason while shooting at least 50% is Michael Jordan - who pulled it off twice. Butler is averaging 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.1 steals in these playoffs on 52% shooting.
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