“He’s doing his part” - Amar’e Stoudemire says Jimmy Butler’s task is made harder by the absence of 6 time All-Star
The NBA's Eastern Conference finals took a different turn as Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat suffered a Game 2 loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics. The Heat took the lead in Game 1 in their first home game of the series.
The Celtics secured a 127-102 victory to tie the series as they host the Heat in the next two games of the series at TD Garden.
Marcus Smart and Al Horford returned, having missed Game 1. The Celtics looked like the formidable team that knocked the great Giannis Antetokounmpo out in the semifinals after a heated seven-game series.
In Game 2, Butler almost registered his seventh 30+ game in the playoffs this postseason, being just a point shy. He recorded 29 points, six rebounds and three assists, but that was not enough as the Heat were met with a blowout with Jayson Tatum and the Celtics sinking 20 threes.
Amar’e Stoudemire was a guest on the "Get Up" show on ESPN and was asked if Butler did enough to get his team the win. The 2003 Rookie of the Year stated that the guard is doing his part.
He remarked that the absence of Kyle Lowry is putting a strain on Butler, stating that he has to take on a lot. He argued that Butler's job is now a lot harder with him having to be the scorer, facilitator and defender. He said:
"Obviously he didn't win the game right, so you want to say you didn't do enough, because you wanna win that game.
"He's doing his part. They need help without Kyle Lowry. I think when he's out, it makes Jimmy Butler’s job a lot harder because now he has to be the facilitator and also be the scorer and also the primary defender."
Can Jimmy Butler lead the Miami Heat to victory without Kyle Lowry?
The Miami Heat lost the lead they had after dropping Game 2 to the Boston Celtics. The Celtics saw a couple of top players who were important in their advancement to the Conference finals return.
Marcus Smart was injured due to a foot sprain and was ruled out for Game 1 and Al Horford had contracted Covid-19, so he had to undergo the health and safety protocols.
Their return saw the Celtics dominate the game early on and ended the half with a 25-point margin.
The return of Marcus Smart led the Celtics to a blowout victory over the Heat! Smart was the key difference-maker - he had 24 points and was a great facilitator tonight, adding 12 assists and 9 rebounds. His defense on Jimmy Butler was also outstanding.
This was their largest margin of victory in the playoffs thus far and amongst their best road record in the playoffs in franchise history.
With an average of 29.8 points in the postseason, Jimmy Butler ranks fourth on the scoring leaderboard behind Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic.
The 2015 Most Improved Player of the Year and company will be looking to send a message at TD Garden on Saturday night.
While the roster has the potential to lock the Celtics up, the Celtics will not sit on their oars as they will look to dominate the game early on as they did in Game 2.