Throughout the postseason, Jimmy Butler has been the Miami Heat’s standout player. Actually, he has been their motivator for the past four years, but even if “Playoff Jimmy” tries to deny it, everyone knows he is unique.
The Boston Celtics were defeated by the team in Game 3 by a score of 128-102, but it is now obvious that this squad is much more than just its star.
Miami is now up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals. After three quarters of Sunday’s game, they were up 30 points. Butler ended with only 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting despite not having to play a single minute in the fourth quarter.
The Heat easily won the game despite his lowest game score (15.1; “a rough measure of a player’s productivity for a single game”) of the playoffs thanks to a 19-of-35 three-point shooting performance and a relentless team defence that had Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown off the court by the time the fourth quarter had begun.
In both the regular season and postseason, Boston’s top two scorers combined for 26 points on 35 attempts. They made only 1 of 14 three-point attempts, bringing their series total from beyond the arc to a pitiful 7 of 40 (17.5%).
Miami’s help defence inside and rotations back to the perimeter have been nearly excellent, despite the fact that it is simple for us to suggest, “Why not try to attack the rim?” When Tatum or Brown drive, they act with a special ferocity that almost challenges them to create plays that the Heat seem to know they can’t.
The overall defensive vigour throughout the series has kept Boston to 107.7 points per game. It scored 115.5 in the first two rounds of the playoffs and 117.9 in the regular season.
On the opposite side of the court, though, Butler’s teammates have excelled the most.
Thanks to a surge of three-pointers from undrafted players Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and Duncan Robinson, Game 3 was effectively gone by halftime.
Seven of Miami’s nine triples in the first half were made by those three together. They were 15 of 23 overall from deep. Vincent scored 29 points on 11 of 14 shots by himself.
And this wasn’t an isolated incident. In the playoffs right now, the Heat are shooting 38.8 percent from outside the arc, tied for first place with the Denver Nuggets. Max Strus, Kevin Love, Vincent, Robinson, Martin, and Martin have all made at least 20 triples. Butler has 15, compared to 19 for Lowry.
Miami has launched a postseason-long deep barrage that features players from around the lineup. And that helps Butler and Bam Adebayo feel more relaxed on the inside.
Adebayo has scored most of his points in the paint, and Butler has also scored a lot (though his mid-range shooting is undoubtedly dangerous, too). The willingness and aptitude each possesses to fire the ball out to shooters from those driving lanes is what really gives those two a dynamic quality. Butler averages 5.6 assists per game. Adebayo is providing 3.9.
Miami is three victories into the Eastern Conference Finals thanks to the balanced output of the roster’s non-Butler members. At least a third of a victory share has been contributed by nine players. And some of things may not have happened if Tyler Herro, who has played 19 minutes in this postseason, and Victor Oladipo, who has played 45, hadn’t had unexpected injuries.
One of the Miami run’s (not-so-secret) mysteries is found there.
The Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra have trusted players from every position on this team to play significant minutes and responsibilities during the past several years, much like the late-dynasty San Antonio Spurs. It doesn’t matter if they were an undrafted player like Vincent, Robinson, Martin, or Strus or a lottery selection like Bam, a veteran who was passed over like Love or Cody Zeller.
You will be given the opportunity to play if you demonstrate a dedication to your own growth, the team’s offensive and defensive game plans, and #HeatCulture. Additionally, you’ll be prepared if that opportunity arises throughout the postseason.
Similar preparation, tenacity, and teamwork were displayed by another Western Conference force in the 2000s and 2010s when a superstar was at the centre of everything.
It took Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks 13 seasons to discover the ideal combination to accentuate the scoring prowess of their star.
Butler definitely moved on from one team after a short time (you can’t really blame him because his initial move was a trade). Instead, he went looking for the ideal mixture on his own. His fourth team is the Heat, and he could have found it there.
Butler needs one more victory to qualify for the Finals for the second time in four years. And for the second time, it seems as though the West may provide Trump a possible behemoth to take down.
But this time, his supporting cast appears to be more willing to pitch in.
The more seasoned players include Adebayo, Robinson, and Herro (who could return for a few Finals minutes). Love and Lowry have expertise in winning championships. Martin is a three-and-D wing (with some slashing ability) that Miami lacked the previous season.
And Butler has reached a greater level in some way. Over the past two postseasons, his box plus/minus has nearly doubled the figure from 2020.
Everything said above is aligning perfectly at this precise time. The Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks have all been almost unable to stop it.
This plan will likely be put to the test by Jamal Murray, Nikola Joki, and the Nuggets after one more victory over the East.
Denver will benefit from playing at home. Most likely, it will be the betting favourite. The prediction model at FiveThirtyEight also rates it as a fairly strong favourite.
But all Butler and his flawlessly constructed supporting cast have accomplished is consistently defy expectations. Five more victories would not be all that remarkable at this point.