Is Jimmy Butler playing tonight against the Celtics? Latest injury update on Heat star ahead of matchup (17th May 2023)
Jimmy Butler completed another upset series win when the Miami Heat eliminated the fifth-seeded New York Knicks in six games on Saturday. Up next, eighth-seeded Miami faces the second-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.
For Game 1 at Boston's TD Garden on Wednesday, Butler will be suited up and ready to go as he is not included in the Heat's injury report.
This is the third time in the last four seasons that the teams are meeting in the Eastern finals. Miami won in 2020, and Boston won last season. Neither went on to win the NBA championship in either season.
It will be an interesting rematch of last year's seven-game series, when Jimmy Butler averaged 25.6 points on 47.7% shooting along with 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Butler had an iconic Game 6 performance, scoring 47 points on 16-for-29 shooting, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range, to force a Game 7 back in Miami.
In the two regular season games that Butler played against the Celtics, he averaged 21.5 pppg (55.3% shooting), 11.0 rpg and 4.0 apg.
Jimmy Butler's impressive postseason run so far
Jimmy Butler started his impressive run in this year's playoffs by playing the best basketball of his career yet in the first-round series against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Butler averaged an impressive statline of 37.6 ppg (59.7% shooting, including 44.4% 3 three-point range), 6.0 rpg and 4.8 apg.
Butler had two fantastic performances, with 56 points on 19-for-28 shooting in Game 4 and 42 points in a Game 5 a closeout performance.
In the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks, Butler averaged 24.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 6.0 apg. He didn't look as dominant as he did against Milwaukee Bucks but he still handled his business to lead his team to another series win.
Ahead of the series with the Boston Celtics, Jimmy Butler spoke about the famous Heat Culture and how he has embodied it with the way he plays.
"Yeah, it’s real," Butler said. "I think more than anything it’s the belief that we have in one another and the belief you must have in yourself to realize how special you can be in this league, moment and organization."