The Miami Heat have had a strong start to their first-round playoff clash against the Atlanta Hawks as they are already 2-0 up with two similar kinds of performances against Trae Young’s men.
In both matches, Heat wing and talisman Jimmy Butler played a huge role in deciding the shift of the game. In game 1, Butler scored 21 points which was the game high as Heat won 115-91. However, he turned up really to drop in a masterclass in the second game as he scored 45 points to unleash the attack on the Hawks. The Heat won the second game 115-105 against the Hawks, who have been far from their best.
Miami will ow take a trip to Atlanta as the Hawks desperately need a change in order or else, they may witness the opportunities slipping away from them. Heat on the other hand will be hoping to win one of the two games on the road.
But all in all it has been the Jimmy Buckets show for the Heat as he has been their most prolific offensive weapon and best performer in the playoffs this year.
However on “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed,” NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe made some fascinating opinions. He feels that despite Butler’s eye catching performances under pressure to lead the charge for the Miami Heat, he does not consider the wing as a superstar. He reasons how his superstars are at the level of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, etc Sharpe does not believe that Butler is of that quality.
“I don’t consider Jimmy Butler a superstar. I’m sorry. I just don’t. When I think superstar, I think of LeBron (James), KD (Kevin Durant), (Nikola) Jokić, Giannis (Antetokounmpo), Luka (Doncic). Jimmy’s not on that shelf,” Shannon Sharpe opined.
If Butler’s heroics in the first game was not enough the 32-year-old came out all guns blazing to simply blow out the Atlanta Hawks in the second match. A 45-point performance from the Miami wing on a night where he did not just carry the Heat’s offense but also snuffed out all the morale from the Hawks.
In two playoff games against the Atlanta Hawks, Butler has averaged 33.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. He’s shooting 60.0%, including 55.6% from 3-point range. These are just insane numbers for a man on a mission in postseason.
Given his numbers and current scenario in the playoffs, he is surely proving Sharpe wrong.
