"James G Buckets" "The G stands for gets" "Better Call Ball" - Redditors react to Jimmy Butler's display for the ages against Boston Celtics
Jimmy Butler put on a show in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference finals and everyone who tuned into the game couldn't help but marvel.
Butler stuffed the stat sheet with 41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks on Tuesday night. Butler shot 12 of 19 from the field and 17 of 18 from the free-throw line. He was a game-high plus-25 as the Miami Heat protected their home court with a 118-107 win.
The top-seeded Heat, although the higher seed, are not heavily favored to win the series. The second-seeded Boston Celtics have the services of two stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown along with their top two defense. Many analysts suggested that the Heat will need a 40-piece from Butler in almost every game in order to advance. And to everyone's surprise, he delivered in Game 1.
Fans took to Reddit to react and shower Jimmy Buckets with praise. The Heat have certainly redeemed themselves after a humiliating first-round exit last season. Heat Nation is certainly ecstatic, and fans couldn't wait to bring out the receipts from last year's sweep.
Fans also pointed out how underpaid he is for his stature. Butler earned $36 million this season as the 12th highest-paid player in the league.
Butler scored 27 of his 41 points in the second half. He had 10 points, two assists, two rebounds and 2 blocks in the final quarter in just 10 minutes. Butler had just two turnovers in the entire game and zero in the fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have another chance to reach the NBA Finals
The Miami Heat can get back to the NBA Finals this season for the second time in two years. If they do, last season's sweep will be forgotten as an off year. Jimmy Butler has been on a tear in the playoffs, with the second-highest scoring average among active players at 29.8 points per game. He is third in total points in the postseason with 328.
According to Game Score, four of his top five games this year have taken place in the playoffs. As per +/-, three of his top games have taken place in the playoffs.
Jimmy Butler in the playoffs is simply That Guy 😮 https://t.co/YoDoTXkSgK
As the first seed in the East, they have home-court advantage in this series. If this series gets to a Game 7, which many are predicting will happen, it will be at FTX Arena in Florida.
The Golden State Warriors are the favorites to win the West, and they had the same regular-season record as the Heat (53-29). However, the Warriors win the tie in the head-to-head matchup as they defeated Miami in both their meetings this season. If the Dubs win the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat will not have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.
Nevertheless, Butler and the Heat are a fearless bunch who believe they can defeat anybody. They host the Celtics again for Game 2 on Thursday.