"Cement his legacy as a Hall of Fame player" - Kendrick Perkins believes that a win in Game 7 will propel Jimmy Butler to the Hall of Fame
In a much-anticipated Game 7 between the Celtics and the Heat, the matchup between Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler will be interesting to watch.
With different implications for both players as their seasons are on the line, Kendrick Perkins spoke on ESPN's "First Take" on which player has more to lose.
"I believe, when I look at Jimmy Butler, he's knocking at the door of being a Hall of Famer," Perkins said. "I believe [Jimmy Butler's] legacy will be hurt more by this loss than Jayson Tatum... If he can win this Game 7 and get to the Finals, I think he will cement his legacy as far as a Hall of Fame player."
Jimmy Butler has been tremendous in this year's postseason run. He has eliminated the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks and the No. 5 seed New York Knicks.
However, after going up 3-0 against the Celtics in this series, Butler started to underperform as Boston has now tied the series.
In this series, Butler is averaging 24.2 points (41.7% shooting, including 31.3% from 3-point range), 7.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists.
He was electric during the first two games of the series until his shooting percentage started going down in the past few games.
The Celtics' defense has also changed drastically when covering Butler's drives and post moves. Boston has started being more disciplined in staying on its ground whenever Jimmy uses his pump fakes. The Celtics have also been much more precise with their help defense to limit Butler's options at the offensive end.
In a critical Game 6, after Butler was fouled by Al Horford at the 3-point line, he was able to knock down all free throws to give hims team a one-point lead. Butler and the Heat were 3.0 seconds away from the Finals.
However, Boston had different plans as Derrick White was able to convert on the game-winning tip shot to force a Game 7.
Jimmy Butler following the heartbreaking Game 6 loss
Following the loss at home, Jimmy Butler spoke to the media about the disappointing Game 6 result.
"Everything that happened tonight, if I don't go 5-for-21 and turn the ball over and all of this good stuff, it's a different story," Butler said. "I've got on a different hat up here and we're getting ready to go to the Finals."
With tonight's Game 7, both teams know what's at stake with the matchup as they get set for four quarters of back-and-forth action.