Jimmy Butler is one of the NBA's toughest players. After his father abandoned his family as an infant and his mother kicked him out of the house when he was 13, he received a Division I scholarship at Marquette and became a first-round NBA Draft pick.

Butler, who is 33 years old, is now playing for another chance to reach the NBA Finals. His Miami Heat improbably reached the Eastern Conference Finals as an eighth seed, which was only done once before (the New York Knicks reached the NBA Finals in 1999).

Butler has willed the Heat to this round, His play has backed up a statement he said after the Heat lost to the Boston Celtics in last year's Eastern Conference Finals.

“We had enough,” Butler said. “Next year, we will have enough. And we're going to be right back in this same situation and we're going to get it done.”

Miami is back. It has a chance to avenge its loss against the Celtics, who are the No. 2 seed in the East. If the Heat win, they will be back in the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.

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Heat’s Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler (Butler in casual clothes) smiling, with Celtics’ Jayson Tatum looking serious; caption below: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR”

Jedd Pagaduan ·

Miami Heat stars Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. looking at Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in front of the Kaseya Center.

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Scotty White ·

Miami does not have a great chance to defeat Boston, according to several predictors. FanDuel gives the Heat the fourth-best odds to win the NBA championship (+1300). Miami has a three percent chance to defeat the Celtics in the conference finals, per ESPN Analytics.

Butler has improbably pushed the Heat past the first-seed Milwaukee Bucks and the fourth-seed New York Knicks. Can he and Miami knock off the No. 2 seed and get back to the Finals?