Right before the opening tip of the Miami Heat's Game 1 tussle with the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, Jimmy Butler already knew he will go off for the entire 48 minutes.

The Heat's two-way superstar warned his teammates that he will be taking a lot of shots on offense, and they willingly obliged without much resistance.

Riding Butler's hot-hand, the Heat overcame the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, 115-104, to draw first blood in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals series.

“Say what you will, but I told my teammates I probably wasn’t going to pass the ball. I made a couple of shots and they said, ‘That’s fine with me,’” Jimmy Butler said after the game, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. 

True to his word, Jimmy Buckets took over from start to finish, uncorking a career-playoff high 40 points on a marvelous 13-for-20 shooting from the field and pristine 2-for-2 from downtown. The 6-foot-7 swingman also collected four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 36 minutes to stun the heavily-favored Bucks.

Butler's amazing feat put him in the same breath as the Heat's two all-time greats, joining Dwyane Wade and LeBron James as the third franchise player to have a 40-point game in the playoffs. 

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Facing the reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the other side, Butler stamped his class as the best player on the floor in Game 1. He was untouchable in the final 12 minutes, making big plays on both ends of the floor to secure the victory. The five-time All-Star also credited his teammates for picking up the slack defensively, which allowed him to focus more on his shots.

Moreover, Jimmy acknowledged Heat legend and his good friend Dwyane Wade, who has been motivating him ever since he entered the bubble.

Game 2 between the Bucks and Heat is scheduled on Wednesday.