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The Miami Heat shocked the NBA world by taking Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks and establishing a 3-1 lead against the No. 1 overall seed. The return of Giannis Antetokounmpo suggested the Bucks would even the series, but resulted in the Heat now being one win away from the biggest upset of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. While the Heat came away with a 119-114 win, it was largely in thanks to one player: Jimmy Butler. Butler continually denies the existence of “Playoff Jimmy,” but it was on full display in Game 4. He now has the Heat on the brink of finishing one of the biggest first round upsets ever with a win in Game 5.
Butler was scorching hot from the jump, scoring 22 out of the 28 first quarter Heat points, including a stretch of 20 points in a row. He continued shooting the ball well throughout, going into the fourth quarter with 35 points. The Heat were down 11 to start the last frame, and the deficit ballooned to 14. That is when the Bucks plateaued, and Butler kicked it into high gear. He led the Heat to a stunning 14 point comeback, the largest of the season for Miami, behind 21 fourth quarter points. Butler finished the game with 56 points, highlighted by a dunk capping a 13-0 run with 3:17 left; this gave the Heat the lead at 102-101, Miami's first lead of the entire night. Butler's 56 points came on 19/28 shooting, and was the highest scoring NBA Playoff performance in Miami history and the fourth highest in NBA history.
Jimmy Butler will certainly take the day off Tuesday, as the Heat and Bucks head back to Milwaukee. If the Heat can take Wednesday's tilt, it will cap an historic upset. As Butler prepares his squad for Game 5, here are three bold predictions for Wednesday night's matchup against the Bucks.
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*Stats via ESPN
The Miami Heat continue to defy offensive expectations
In the regular season, the Miami Heat had one of the worst offenses in the entire NBA. Statistically, the Heat were the lowest scoring offense in the entire league, averaging 109.5 points a game, a full point lower than the measly Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets. They shot 46% from the field, and 34.4% from the 3-point line. This was a big reason they found themselves in the NBA Play-In Tournament after being the No. 1 seed in the East last season. However, the start of the 2023 NBA Playoffs seemed to remind them of whey have been in the past. Through four games, they are the best offense in the postseason.
The highest scoring offense in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Heat are averaging a whopping 123.5 points per game. Not only are they scoring 14 more points a game, but their shooting percentages have skyrocketed. They are shooting the ball at a clip of 54% per game, and an unreal 47.6% from the 3-point line. An over 13% increase in 3-point percentage is staggering for a team that shot the ball so poorly on a consistent basis in the regular season. It is clear it is not just Jimmy Butler that has raised his game against the Bucks, but the entire Heat roster. In Game 5, expect more of the same, as the Heat will continue a torrid stretch on the offensive end.
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Jimmy Butler drops at least 40 against the Milwaukee Bucks
Unlike the Heat offense as a whole, Jimmy Butler did not go into the 2023 NBA Playoffs coming off a down regular season. He averaged 22.9 points on 53% shooting over 64 games, leading the Heat offensively. However, akin to his team performance, he has leapt into a new realm against the Bucks. The best player in the 2023 NBA Playoffs has been Jimmy Butler, and it really isn't close. Alongside the 56 point record breaking performance, Butler is the reason the Heat find themselves up 3-1 on the No. 1 overall seed.
Jimmy Butler leads all players in scoring in the postseason, averaging 36.5 points per game on an astonishing 62.5% from the field. Not to mention, an historically average 3-point shooter, he is at a clip of 52.5% from beyond the arc. This is all not to mention his 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, while also being the best defender on the floor at all times. Butler has been known to step his game up in the NBA Playoffs, but he has taken his game to a whole new level this postseason. With a chance at closing out the Bucks in Game 5, expect Butler to remain sweltering. He will drop 40 points on another efficient, dominant performance.
The Heat close out an historic upset
A No. 8 seed has knocked out a No. 1 seed just five times in NBA history. The Miami Heat will become the sixth team to ever accomplish the feat. Overall, the Heat have looked like the better team in this series, and a completely different team from what they were in the regular season. Granted, the Bucks were essentially without Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first three games after an early exit in Game 1. However, he played to the tune of a triple-double in Game 4, and it still wasn't enough to beat the Heat. Even with Antetokounmpo in the lineup for Game 5, the Heat will continue to be the better team.
Out of all the No. 8 vs. No. 1 upsets in NBA history, this would not be the most surprising. The Heat were the No. 1 seed just last season, and the roster is primarily the same sans a few upgrades. This team has shown it can compete with anyone, and is proving it through four games in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. They will cement their legitimate status as a title contender after Game 5, knocking the No. 1 overall seed out of the 2023 NBA Playoffs and advancing into the second round.
