“All of a sudden Jimmy Butler’s gonna sit there and he’s going to be Kareem? He’s going to be Jerry West?” - Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo tells people to take it easy on the hype surrounding Jimmy Butler
Sports radio personality Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo has downplayed the hype surrounding Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler.
During Wednesday’s episode of “First Take” on NBA on ESPN, Russo joined Stephen A. Smith to talk about Miami’s playoff chances this season.
Russo said:
“We’re gonna go have a party because we beat the Hawks? All of a sudden Jimmy Butler’s gonna sit there and he’s going to be Kareem? He’s going to be Jerry West? Let’s take it easy.”
Butler has been a key player for the Miami Heat this season. As a result, he has gained notable popularity.
The Heat finished the 2021-22 NBA regular season in first place in the Eastern Conference with 53 wins to 29 losses.
Though the full rotation of the team contributed across the board, Butler was a dominant contributing factor for the squad. He finished the season with averages of 21.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 5.5 APG.
Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo believes Jimmy Butler's true test will be against Philadelphia 76ers
If Philadelphia beat Toronto in the first series of the playoffs, they will face off against the winner of the Atlanta versus Miami series.
If the Miami Heat win the series against the Atlanta Hawks, Russo believes Butler's true test will come against the Philadelphia 76ers.
He said:
“Let me see them now go out there and turn around and beat Philly. When they do that, we can sit there and we can start putting Jimmy Butler on his elevated plateau.”
Russo insisted that he had nothing personal against Butler and that his comments were directed to many players across the league:
“At this day and age, everybody puts every star in every sport on an incredible plateau before they’ve done anything.”
Butler finished Game 1 of the series against Atlanta with 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists, helping the team to a 115-91 victory.
He then dropped an incredible 45 points in Game 2 of the series to help secure a 115-105 victory for the Heat and put the team up 2-0 in their series.