Jimmy Butler led his Miami Heat to another impressive win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night, taking a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Butler arrived at TD Garden on a mission, and he completed it.
The swingman dropped 27 points, to go along with eight rebounds and six assists to get the 111-105 win over a team that looked ready to even the series up.
Some said Grant Williams barking at Butler and getting in his face played a role in this result, but it seems like Butler was extra motivated even before Williams took things to a different level.
Butler allegedly told Joe Mazzulla he made a mistake putting Williams on him.
Jimmy was letting coach Mazzulla know 🌶 😂
(h/t @MarkJonesESPN) pic.twitter.com/goTPMcoHkU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 20, 2023
The duel between Williams and Butler was the most entertaining part of this game, but after they went in each other’s faces, things calmed down a little for the Celtics, and Butler took over.
The Celtics didn’t have a response for him in the final six minutes of the game, and Miami gave Butler all the support he needed to take this win.
Now the Celtics are trying to see what they can do to dismantle Butler and co.
The task has gotten more difficult after the Heat won the first two games at TD Garden, and regardless of Jayson Tatum’s confidence ahead of Game 3, many think Miami is already in the Finals.
Of course, a lot still needs to happen before we reach that point, but it seems unlikely that the Heat loses two games at home playing at this level.
Joe Mazzulla has been criticized for his coaching against Philadelphia and especially now against the Heat.
Erik Spoelstra has outcoached him in the first two games and it’s about time he changes the narrative.
The young coach needs to make the adjustments, even the difficult ones, if he wants to take his team back to the Finals.
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