Jimmy Butler's signing with the Miami Heat last offseason flew under the radar compared to the other big-name free-agent signings. With that, it's safe to say not a lot pundits envisioned the South Beach franchise reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020 campaign — let alone eliminating the title favorites, Milwaukee Bucks, in the process.
Shortly after Miami closed out their East semis series in five games following a spirited 103-94 win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, Butler opened up about reaching the Conference Finals for the first time in his career.
“It means a lot,” the five-time Heat All-Star described the accomplishment, per ESPN's Nick Friedell.
“But like you said, that's not my goal. That's not my guys' goal. It's not the organization's goal. We want to win it, win a championship, and I think that's what we're focused on. These next eight are going to be much harder than the previous eight. We know that, but we're ready.”
Even after impressively sweeping the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round, not a lot of people gave the fifth-seeded Heat much of a chance against the Bucks and their seemingly-unstoppable superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, Jimmy Butler took full control on both ends of the floor and emerged as the undisputed best player of the series.
Jimmy Buckets had modest numbers of 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and one steal in the close-out game. He took just six shots from the field in 37 minutes and made four of those attempts.
The Heat, meanwhile, could have easily been the lone undefeated team in the playoffs this season if not for some unfortunate breaks in Game 4 versus the Bucks.
Although he has already achieved a great deal so far, it's nice to see Butler not rest on his laurels until his team achieves its ultimate goal. Butler and the rest of the Heat currently await the winner of the Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors semis series.
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